This Land Is Ours
by texas2step
Summary: A simple trip to the bank turns out to be anything but routine for Steve. This story is now complete
1. Chapter 1

This Land Is Ours 

None of the Characters of Diagnosis Murder belong to me I just like to borrow them and have fun with them sometimes. Enjoy.

A/N: I have to say thanks to this remarkable woman who beta's my stories. She corrects my work with humor and wit, teaching and encouraging as I go. I have come to love her and that infamous red pen. I hope I never stop learning from her. Thank you my friend.

See what happens when you go to the bank and your elders are holding it up.

Chapter One

Steve knew if he timed everything just right he could get to the bank, deposit his check and still get to the hospital and have lunch with his Dad.  
As he walked into the building he was surprised that there were only a few people inside tending to their own banking business. This was fortunate as it would mean that he could get out of there even faster since he would not have to wait so long to get to a teller.

Things were going along smoothly and quickly when just as he got to the window, the words that no one wants to hear while depositing their hard earned money rang out loud and clear.

"All right everybody. I want you all to raise them hands up over yer' heads and keep 'em there." This came from a small woman holding one of the biggest shotguns Steve had ever seen. It looked bigger than she did since the lady barely stood over five feet tall. Her dress was long and faded with an old stained up apron over the front of it. Out from under her skirt peeked a pair of brown work lace up boots. A small black plastic mask covered the lady's face but it left her hair plainly in view and Steve noticed it was gray and pulled up into a bun just like his grandmother used to wear.

Suddenly out of nowhere a second voice boomed out. "You folks heared her now, hold them hands up high. You all do as you are told and nobody is gonna get hurt. We ain't amin' to take nothin' that don't already belong to us. So don't nobody get stupid and try to be some kind of hero."

Steve could tell that the person under the other lone ranger mask must be about the same age as the little lady with the large gun. He stood tall and broad shouldered. He too waved a shotgun in the air that was every bit as big but didn't quite seem so out of character since he had much larger hands.

'Dammit this can not be happening. Not today. They're having meatloaf at the hospital cafeteria. Well that does it. I'm definitely going to start using direct deposit.' Steve was fuming over the turn of events. Why couldn't they have done this earlier when he was out doing a neighborhood check on the Manning case that he and his partner Cheryl had just picked up yesterday? Come to think of it, that didn't pan out any better since most of the neighbors were older adults and either they didn't have their glasses on or didn't have their hearing aides turned up. In other words no one saw or heard anything. Steve suddenly felt that the world was being taken over by the nursing home generation.

He watched closely as the woman walked up to the first teller and told her she wanted to see the 'low down pole cat that was in charge of taking away people's homes for no good reason'.

Steve held his breath hoping that everyone would just stand still and not do anything that would cause 'Ma Barker' over there to let loose with that scatter gun she was toting. He didn't know if she was a good shot or not but he also knew that if she aimed it in your direction you would more than likely find a hail of lead coming your way.

The teller quickly picked up the phone and asked for someone from loans to get their tail down to the lobby quickly because two very hostile people were wanting to see them really bad. Afraid to say anymore the teller quickly deposited the phone back on the cradle and once again raised her hands level with her head.

It took a good five minutes before a very huffy, very short, and very bald man with large glasses walked quickly into the tense situation demanding to know what was so important that he had to leave his lunch. He pulled up quickly when he saw the big gun and the little old lady who was aiming it in his direction.

"It's you. You scummy varmint. You come out to our place and put up a sign telling me and Isaiah over there that we got to pay up some kind of taxes on our property and that we got to git out if we don't come up with the money by next week. Well we been thinkin' on it and we decided that we been payin' on this land long enough. You go and get them papers ready sayin' we been paid up and sign 'em. And if we see you or any of your people out at our place again we are a gonna fill your backsides full of lead. Now git." The little old lady waved her gun in his face for emphasis.

The little round man who wore and ID badge that said Mr. D. L. Tuttle, ran quickly to his desk and rifled through a pile of papers on the top. He seemed to know just what he was looking for and quickly pulled out the papers signing them and then running quickly back to the old lady shoving them into her outstretched hand.

"Emma, you look at them real good and make sure he signed them in the right place. Make sure that they is the right papers too. I don't want there to be no mistakes." Isaiah then turned to Mr. Tuttle. "We paid our taxes every year. We kept the place up and we paid it off with time to spare. We been livin' there for over forty years. Now all of sudden you come up there and tell me and Emma that we have to pay more taxes. Well that ain't right and you ain't getting' away with it."

Steve kept watching the two older people and praying that they would just leave now that they had what they wanted and not hurt anyone. If they did he could call it in and maybe no one would have to get hurt, especially the old couple.

For some reason after listening to them Steve could not help but have some sympathy for what they were going through. He knew that so often outlandish taxes and greedy bankers victimized the elderly finding them to be easy prey. Apparently these two were not eager to be among those swindled. All the senior couple had to do was just leave now and he could take care of the rest with out any problems complicating things. It all seemed to be going like Steve wanted, but unfortunately Mr. Tuttle seemed to have a mouth that didn't seem to match his small body.

"The police are on the way right now and you'll be lucky to get halfway down the road before they catch up. So just put down those guns and give yourself up to this nice police officer here."

At that point he turned to Steve. Shock registered all over the Lieutenant's face. He hadn't realized that the loan officer even knew he was a cop. He looked down and sure enough, because his hands were raised up as high as Emma had insisted, his badge was showing. Steve was not very happy at the way things seemed to be turning out. This was information that he would like to have kept to himself. It is always better if a perpetrator was unaware of your association with the LAPD. Too late now though. Emma and Isaiah both swung their guns at him and stared holes right through him. All Steve could do was just smile at them and give a slight shrug his shoulders.

"Well, I reckon, son, you are just gonna' have to come with us." The old man reached inside of Steve's jacket and searched until he found his gun, snatching it and placing it in one of the pockets of his overalls.

"Now get goin' and don't you try nothin'. Emma here has been holdin' that gun a long time and she might accidentally shoot you if you was to spook her." Steve hesitated for a second to long and Isaiah came around and gave him a little shove with the barrel of his gun. "I said move it, boy. **Now**!"

Everyone in the bank stood and watched as the old couple ushered the young man out the door. No one moved as they seemed to be in shock at just having been held up. Minutes passed while they waited for the bandits to speed away, afraid they would return.

Steve moved for the front of the door with his hands still raised by his head. The last thing he wanted was to have one of those shotguns go off in his direction. At this range one blast could leave a hole in him that a truck could drive through.

Once outside he stopped and waited for the old couple to give him further instructions. A faded blue station wagon was parked out front with the back window missing. The old man moved around Steve and opened up the back door motioning for him to get in. Isaiah then climbed in next to him and Emma settled herself into the front seat behind the wheel and started the engine. They were soon heading down the street and out towards the eastern part of LA.

Once they had been driving for about two minutes Isaiah produced a piece of rope and quickly tied the younger man's hands together making sure that he was secured. He then tied his bound wrists to the armrest of the door. Steve knew that if he tried to jump from the car that he would be drug along, so he settled in, knowing he had no choice but to go for a ride with the feisty couple.

"You're just making this worse by kidnapping me and taking me as a hostage. Now the best thing for you two is to give up and turn yourself over to me and I'll see if I can help you work this out." Steve decided to try and reason with the old people.

"We ain't kidnapping you, boy. We just want to make sure that you don't go and mess things up for us. Now sit back and quit fussin'." Emma spoke to him looking at him through the rear view mirror.

"You don't understand. You forced me into the car with a loaded shotgun. That's kidnapping in my book." Steve was starting to get a little agitated at the older couple by this point.

"Look, son. We never forced you into the car with loaded guns. See ain't either one of 'em got any shells in 'em." Isaiah popped open both guns to show Steve the empty barrels.

"Are you crazy? You could have gotten yourselves killed. What were you thinking going in there with empty shotguns?" Steve was all but shouting by this time.

"I was thinking that I didn't want to hurt no one. We was just wantin' to get their attention. I think we managed that just fine. And no one got hurt. Now will you sit back an quit your fussin'? I swear I never heared anyone go on so!"

Steve sat back fuming. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to be kidnapped by a pair of grandparents with guns that weren't even loaded! If the guy's back at the station found out about this he knew he would be tortured with their jokes for the rest of his life. Man this just kept getting better all the time!

Emma and Isaiah seemed to be having a serious discussion on how to get him to the house without him seeing the way. Steve pretty much ignored the two as they argued over the best solution to the problem. He watched out the window trying to get a fix on where they might be heading. Suddenly he heard Emma say "I hate to do it to him Papa but I don't know what else we can do. A dose of Laudanum ain't goin' to hurt him none. It's just goin' to make him sleepy is all. Now get it and give him a good dose. He's a big boy so you better give him a whole tablespoon."

At this point, Steve was all ears. Emma mentioned Laudanum. What was Laudanum? No matter what it was he wasn't going to open his mouth for it. Steve hated medicine, and he especially hated the kind he didn't know anything about.

"Open up there, son." Isaiah was coming at Steve with a large spoon of brown liquid that smelled like strong cheap booze. He clamped his mouth shut and shook his head no. The whole time he never took his eyes off the spoon that was coming at him.

"Boy, don't give me a hard time about this. It ain't going to hurt ya'. Just make you take a little nap is all. Son, if you don't open up that mouth of yours I'm goin' to wallop you good." Isaiah once again came at Steve with the foul smelling liquid.

Steve continued to keep his mouth clamped shut and turned his face toward the window. The next thing he knew Isaiah had grabbed his hair and jerked his head back. The sudden assault took him by surprise and he involuntarily opened his mouth expressing his pain from the attack. The large spoon was shoved into his gapping mouth forcing him to either swallow or choke on the disgusting tasting liquid. He swallowed hard unable to spit it out.

"Now that wasn't so bad was it? All that fuss over a little dab of medicine. You just relax and soon you'll be sleeping like a baby."

Steve gasped as he tried to get his breath. He started to cough causing Isaiah to pound him on the back. After he sputtered for a few minutes he was able to gain some control again.

By this time Steve was so angry he informed 'Bonnie and Clyde' that if it was the last thing he ever did he would see to it that they wound up in jail for kidnapping and assaulting a police officer.

"Son, if you don't lay back here and relax, I'm going to assault your backside. Now I have heard all the fussin' I aim to out of you. We ain't hurt you and we ain't gonna hurt you. Now it sounds to me that you need to take a nap with all that frettin' you're a doin'. So just shut up and go to sleep." With that Isaiah pushed Steve back against the seat and dared him with a look to even open his mouth.

It didn't take long before Steve could feel the affects of the Laudanum taking a hold over him. He began to feel light headed and his eyes seemed to be heavy. He tried to fight it with all of his might but soon his eyes shut and he was oblivious of anything that was around him.

"I didn't think he was ever gonna go to sleep. I ain't never heard no one complain so much either. While he's a stayin' with us he needs to learn who the boss is. I don't plan on having some city kid mouthin' off at me all day." Isaiah was thoroughly displeased with the young detective who was now snoring quietly next to him in the back seat of the old station wagon.

"Calm down, Papa. You don't expect him to be all eager to come along peacefully now. After all we didn't exactly ask him if he wanted to come. Besides I'm sure he was just tryin' to do his job. He'll understand once he finds out the whole story." Emma continued to drive down the road. She once again stole a glance at the young man who reminded her so much of Robbie. Oh, how she missed her Robbie.

The old car sped on down the road putting more miles between Steve, his family, and his home. The Lieutenant was headed for an experience that would change his life forever. Little did he know as he lay sleeping that this old couple would have such an impact on him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Steve woke up disoriented and feeling hung over. For several minutes he lay still and tried to remember where he was. Somewhere in the distance he could here what sounded like chickens clucking and a dog barking. Events from the day before began flashing through his brain and he suddenly became aware of a few things that he couldn't explain. Number one, he was no longer tied up in the back seat of the old station wagon. Number two, he was in a bed and no longer dressed in his own clothes. He seemed to be sporting some kind of long nightshirt that was as soft as a cotton ball against his skin. The third, and last thing he noticed, and this gave him cause for concern, was an urgent call of nature on his bladder. 

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed he stood up with the idea of looking for the facilities. After he took care of his need for the bathroom he was going to have a few words with his 'Host and Hostess.' As soon as he had become vertical however, a severe wave of dizziness caused him to sink back on the bed and he grabbed onto the headboard for support.

Steve rode out the dizziness and once again tried to stand. While waiting for his legs and head to adjust to his new position he took a quick look around the room. 

It was small with only one window by the side of his bed. A dresser was on the opposite side next to where he stood. It looked like an antique with a small mirror attached to the wall over it. On the other wall by the foot of the bed stood an old chefarobe. A stand holding a pitcher and bowl claimed the farthermost corner of the room with another small mirror hanging over it. Towels hung from a bar at the side and a cake of white soap lay next to the bowl. An old threadbare rug lay on the floor. Where it once boasted of a rich red rose pattern, it now only offered brown patches reminding him of the last faded petals of summer. Steve felt like he had stepped back in time. The room was small and simple but held a certain old charm.

After taking a tentative step to see if he could walk without falling over, Steve made his way to the door. He eased it open carefully listening for sounds of anyone who might be up. He doubted it because, according to his watch, it was only 5:30 in the morning. Not hearing anything he opened the door wider and gingerly stepped out into a hallway.

Unsure which way to turn he decided to check on the door closest on his left. It proved to be another bedroom larger than the one he had just come from. Even though it seemed to be unoccupied at this time it was obvious that some one was using the room. Clothes and other personal items were scattered around giving it a very lived in feel. 

Not seeing what he really needed most at the moment he headed on down the hall staying close to the wall and walking slowly. This was partly for support as he was still feeling slightly hung over and also because he wanted to be careful not to run into someone suddenly surprising both him and them. 

He almost got to the end of the hall when he smelled something that reminded him that he had not had a chance at lunch or dinner yesterday. The sound of bacon and eggs sizzling in a pan mixed with the smell of coffee brewing made his stomach rumble and his mouth water. Not sure of what to expect he continued to slowly make his way toward the kitchen. He could hear a woman humming a hymn that he recognized to be "Amazing Grace." This brought back memories of his own Grandmother singing to herself as she prepared meals for her family. He stood out side the door of the kitchen for a minute just listening to the sweet notes coming from the lady he remembered as Emma.

Steve knew he couldn't just stand there any longer as his need for a bathroom started to take on an alarming new urgency. He knocked lightly on the doorframe in hopes that he wouldn't startle her. 

She looked up and smiled at the young man who looked so sweet in his flannel nightshirt and at the sleepy way that a boy looks when he first gets up in the morning. 'He sure does remind me of Robbie' Emma thought to herself. "Did you sleep well?"

"I guess so. I don't remember anything except the back seat of your car. I'm not sure I understand how you got me in the house by yourself. Is there anyone else besides you and your husband here?" Steve was fishing for any information that would give him some idea about what he was up against.

"Goodness no. Me and Papa don't need anyone else to help out here. We don't do much farmin' anymore since my boy died. We just keep a couple of cows for milkin' and we got chickens. The only thing we grow from the soil now is just our garden vegetables. Don't much need anythin' else. Are you hungry?" She asked smiling up at him.

"I really need a bathroom at the moment. Where would it be?" Steve was almost at the point where if he waited any longer he would be dancing around like a kid who had waited to long.

"Just go out this door and walk down the path. It's back behind those trees over there. You better take this with you." She handed Steve a roll of toilet paper and pointed him towards the door.

At first Steve thought she didn't understand what he had asked for. Then it suddenly dawned on him that they only had an outhouse. He had heard of them before but he had never seen one in his life. Steve really didn't want to see this one either. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder as Emma pushed him towards the back door saying. "From the look on your face you better hurry on over there before we have a mess in this floor. Now scoot."

Steve stumbled out the door and headed to where Emma had pointed. Once he got the door open he nearly passed out. This could not be real. People just didn't live like this anymore, or did they? Not having much choice, he stepped carefully inside and latched the door behind him. No way could he ever let Jesse find out about this whole thing. He would have to kill the little termite in order to shut him up once he got started. He could just hear the jokes now. It was going to be a nightmare.

DM

Isaiah made his way into the kitchen ready to wash up for breakfast. "Has Sleeping Beauty woke up yet? You sure can tell he's a city kid. Sleepin' the best part of the day away. He's gonna have to get use to gettin' up and gettin' his chores done around here and there ain't no time like the present." With that Isaiah started towards the hall that led to Steve's bedroom. 

"Just hold on. That child ain't in there. He got up a few minutes ago and went to the privy. Now just get off his case. He ain't done nothin' to you. Why are you all over that boy?" Emma stood in front of Isaiah glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

Isaiah side-stepped her and made for the washstand to clean off some of the grime from his morning work. The old man had already fed the chickens and milked the cows. He had drawn water from the well filling the bucket on the back porch. Isaiah still had plenty of chores ahead of him and he figured that the boy could help out some. After all he seemed healthy and strong enough.

"I ain't got nothin' against him. But I don't like the way you been lookin' at him either." Isaiah turned and faced his wife with a look of pain. He knew what he was about to say next was going to hurt her but it needed to be said. "He ain't Robbie, Mama. Robbie's gone. We can't bring him back and that boy out there can't take his place."

"You hush up old man. I know he ain't Robbie. But he don't need you harpin' on him either. The boy wasn't raised on a place like this. He doesn't know about farm life. You better be easy on him or I swear I'll land into you with all I got. You understand me Isaiah Robert Tanner?" Emma pulled herself up as tall as she could and glared at her husband making him back up a step.

There was no use in trying to reason with the old woman when she got her hackles up. Isaiah decided to back off and give his wife some space for the moment. 

After about five minutes of scrubbing his face and arms he turned back around with the towel drying his hands. "He ain't no baby, Emma. We can't adopt him. We have to take him back, and soon. He's bound to have a mama and papa somewhere back in town who is worried sick about him right now. We can't make them worry forever. It just ain't proper. They got a right to know where their son is and that he is doin' fine. So you remember that while you go about babyin' him and gettin' all attached. He ain't ours to keep." Isaiah hung the towel back up and went to sit down at the table.

Emma just stared at her husband knowing that he was right. The cruellest thing they could do would be to let the boy's parents fret over him, wondering what had happened, but he was here now and she intended to enjoy smothering him if she wanted to. It had been a long time since she had been able to spoil her own child and she intended to take advantage of the time she had with this one. She needed to be a mother again. Even if just for a little while.  
DM

When Steve stepped back into the kitchen he could tell that the two older people had apparently been quarreling about something. He had no idea about what but he felt sure that some how he had been at least part of it. He stood still for a moment not sure what to do or say. Isaiah looked away first and landed his glare on Steve motioning him to the water pitcher and bowl to wash up. Steve stepped over and took the bar of soap and began to wash his face and hands in the cool water trying to clear up some of the cobwebs that were still hanging in his brain. Once he had dried off he turned and asked about his clothes. 

"You can't wear those clothes to work on the farm. They're too nice. I'll get some of Robbie's old things out of the cupboard for you after you eat your breakfast. Now get over here and sit down." Emma ushered Steve over to a chair and sat him opposite Isaiah. 

"You know it's still not too late to give yourself up. I could help if you would just let me." Steve pleaded with the couple.

"The only help you're gonna give me, Son is a hand fixin' that fence over there by the creek. You better eat up cause we don't have lunch until high noon." Isaiah never looked up from his plate as he shoveled his food into his mouth.

"Here you go. Now you be sure and drink all of that milk. It's good for you. I already buttered you a couple of biscuits. I made this jelly myself. You go ahead and try it." Emma fussed around Steve during the whole breakfast making sure that he had plenty to eat. 

When Steve went to drink the milk there was something different about it. It seemed a little thicker and creamier than the milk he was use to getting at home. 

Isaiah noticed the look on his face and just grunted out. "It ain't no store bought milk, boy. That came straight from my cows out there. Now hurry and finish up. We got lots of chores waitin' on us.

Isaiah stood up and without another word he marched out the back door. It wasn't that he had anything against the boy, but just like Emma he was missing his own son and here was this kid about the same age as his Robbie would be. It was hard not to get attached to him but as he said to Emma he had to go back soon.

"Don't mind him. He don't really mean to be so rough. It's just his way. Now you better finish up your breakfast. I hope you don't mind but I did look in your wallet and I saw that your name is Steve. I think that is real nice. Is that what your mamma and papa call you?" Emma sat across from Steve and looked at him thinking how quickly she was becoming attached to him.

Swallowing a mouth full of eggs, Steve answered while feeling a little uncomfortable about the way she seemed to be looking at him. "My full name is Steven Michael. I don't hear that much unless I'm in trouble. Sometimes I hear it more than I want to. Everybody just calls me Steve for the most part."

Steve finished eating his breakfast and helped to stack the dishes in the dishpan. The older lady led him to the bedroom where he had woken up and indicated that he should sit down while she retrieved clothes for him to wear while he worked with Isaiah.

Emma opened the dresser drawers and pulled out a clean pair of shorts and socks for Steve. She then went over to the Chefarobe and took out a pair of overalls and a plaid shirt. "Here you go. I believe these will fit you just fine. They might be a little big but not enough to notice. They belonged to my son Robbie. He's gone now." She placed the clothes on the bed next to where Steve was sitting and gently caressed the collar of the shirt lost in a memory. 

"Ms. Emma?" Steve had to call her twice to get her attention. "Ms. Emma."

Emma suddenly looked up from the shirt and directly into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. "Yes? Did you say somethin'?"

"I was just wondering what happened to your son, Ma'am?" Steve asked her with a gentleness that surprised even him.

"My Robbie was in Viet Nam." Emma looked out the window for a moment and gathered herself before she continued. Turning back to Steve she smiled at him and continued. 

"He was just two months away from finishin' his time over there. He was goin' to come home to me and his Papa. Then one night they was hit by some snipers. Several of the boys were hit. Some were even killed outright. My Robbie he went back where they were shooting and he carried out several of his friends. They told me he went back six times and picked up one of those boys and carried him to a safe spot." Once again Emma stopped and smiled at Steve. With a deep breath she continued.

"When he was heading back the last time a bullet hit him square in his back. But he never let his friend fall. He continued to carry him to that safe spot with a bullet in his back. My Robbie put a lot a store into his friendships. He wouldn't let any of his friends suffer if he could help it. He collapsed in his sergeant's arms. They say he bled to death." Emma was almost whispering at this point. "They called him a hero. I called him my baby." Steve could see the tears flowing down the soft pink cheeks of this broken hearted mother. It touched his very soul. He knew his own mother had been so scared while he had been over there himself.

Suddenly perking up a little and wiping at the tears that had fallen on her face Emma headed for the dresser. "He got a medal for what he did. They sent it to his Papa and me. I got it right over here in this drawer. Would you like to see?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I would." Steve reached for the familiar blue box that was just like the one he had hidden in a drawer back at the beach house.

I guess I should keep it shined up and out so we can see it all the time. But I just swear every time I see it, all I can think about is my boy sacrificin' himself for people I didn't even know. I can hardly stand to see it out." She reached out to take the metal and place it back into the drawer where she kept it hidden.

"I have one also. I don't care to look at it much. It just reminds me of the pain and suffering that went on over there. My dad once told me I should be proud of it. I am but I would rather not have it out, constantly reminding me how it was over there. I can still hear my friends screaming at night sometimes. I try not thinking about that time in my life. I'm sorry about your son. I would have been proud to have known him." Steve hung his head feeling a little guilty that he was here and her son was buried. 

Emma seemed to sense his guilt and she placed a warm comforting hand on his shoulder. "You be proud, boy, that you made it back from that hell. I wish my Robbie could have but I would never have traded another's life for his. It was what God willed and I won't have you sittin' here feelin' bad about you being spared while my son died." Emma spoke gently but firmly. 

"Come on now, Steve. It's time for you to get dressed. Isaiah wants you to help him fix that old fence up. I swear I don't know why he just don't put up a new one. I think he wants to be sure he has something to do. Here's some work boots for you." She leaned over and kissed Steve on the head as she turned to leave. It surprised Steve as well as her. It was a simple gesture but it seemed so natural. As she walked out the door of the bedroom she looked back at the young man sitting there and smiled at him. It was then that she knew he was somehow going to break her heart. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I would like to thank you for the great reviews. I know some of you have asked some questions. I love that because I know that you are thinking about the story. I always finish my stories before I post them because I'm the queen of procrastination. This is only fiction and I hope that as you read your questions will be answered. I also hope that you will continue to enjoy the story.

Chapter Three

Steve changed into his new work clothes as quickly as possible and headed out the door to find Isaiah. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to think that he couldn't hold up to his share of the work. Although, for the life of him, he couldn't think why he cared one way or the other. Here he was being held against his will and made to work for these people who had kidnapped and drugged him.

Steve found Isaiah by the shed putting tools in a wheelbarrow. He walked over to him, offering to help wherever he was needed. Isaiah gave him a grunt and Steve had a feeling that the old man didn't have much respect for him and from what he had been able to learn from the two, he wasn't too sure he blamed him. The younger man did however want to prove that he could handle anything that was thrown at him.

For the next two hours Isaiah and Steve worked at mending the fence down by the creek bed. The Lieutenant had always felt that he had managed to keep himself in pretty good shape. He had never shied away from any type of work and was always willing to do his part. But today he wasn't so sure if he was really going to be able to keep up with the old man. His part of the work consisted of digging postholes, stringing barbed wire and holding it tight as Isaiah nailed it secured to the post.

By the time that his captor was satisfied with the job, Steve was pretty shaky from the strenuous work out. He never complained but he was aching in places that he didn't even know existed. Steve knew it was a given that he was going to be sore tomorrow.

Once they reached the shed Isaiah put him to work cleaning and oiling the tools so that they wouldn't rust. Steve wasn't really used to doing this but he went to work the best he could. At home when he got through with a hammer he just threw it back into the toolbox. Once the tools had been cleaned and put away, Steve decided to go in search of some water.

He went back to the house and as he walked in he stopped and listened to Emma as she sang the same hymn she had been singing earlier. He stood for just a second and enjoyed the scene, knowing he couldn't stay there long before Isaiah would be looking for him. Not wanting to startle her by just suddenly appearing, Steve cleared his throat as he started towards her. She turned and smiled surveying him with her head cocked to one side.

"Now what can I get for you, Hon?" She walked up to him wiping the flour from her hands, the whole time surveying him. She wanted to be sure that Isaiah wasn't pushing him too hard or too fast.

"I just thought I would see if I could get a drink of water. I got pretty thirsty while we were fixing the fence." Steve felt something stir inside of him as he noticed her looking at him from head to toe. It was a feeling he hadn't felt for a long time and thought to be lost forever. It was the same love and concern he had gotten from his own mom. Katherine Sloan had a way of checking her son out to make sure he hadn't overdone a workout or played to hard with his friends without making a fuss about it. It was a feeling of knowing someone worried about the little things as well as the big things. Being proud of how well you were turning out and of all the accomplishments in your life. Loving you just because you are their son. So why did he have this feeling now? This woman wasn't his mother. As sweet as she was she would not ever be his mother.

"I'll get you a drink but you be careful about how fast you drink it. I ain't had time to mix up any sweet ginger water yet." She fussed around as she dipped water from the bucket and filled a glass for Steve.

"What's ginger water?" Steve asked while reaching for the cool glass of liquid.

"It's just a concoction I mix up that won't make you cramp if you drink a lot of it or if you drink it too fast. People get hot and thirsty so they tend to drink cool water too fast and they drink too much." She eyed Steve critically as he tipped the glass to his lips and drank the water down.

"I see that you managed to keep up with papa. He likes to put in a full day's work before lunch if you didn't notice." She smiled up at the sweaty young man who was asking for more water.

"I noticed. Trust me I noticed. I wasn't sure that I would be able to keep up with him for a while. He really pushes you hard. I don't see how a man his age can keep up that kind of pace." Steve accepted the water frowning a little when he saw that she had only given him half a glass.

"You drink too much, son and it'll make you cramp up." She said as she responded to his pout. "You don't worry about old Isaiah. He's as strong today as he was the day we was married. He carried you in from the car yesterday and didn't even grunt when he hefted you over his shoulder. I warn you now he ain't one to tangle with. He can still whup up on the best of 'em." Steve could see the pride in her face as she talked about her husband.

Steve handed back the empty glass and with a sigh he headed for outside. "I better go see what he wants me to do for him now. I don't want him to 'whup' up on me." With a grin he winked at Emma and disappeared out the back door.

DM

"Any word on Steve yet?" asked a very worried Jesse Travis.

"No, not yet. I just talked to his Captain and they still don't know where he is."

"I thought they knew who took him." Jesse looked questioningly at Mark.

"Oh they know who took him. And they went out to their place. But it was locked up tight. In fact it looks like no one has been there for several weeks. I don't know what to think." Mark turned to his young friend, obvious concern written all over his face.

"It doesn't make sense to me. If they only stole the deed to their property then why aren't they out there defending it? I mean you would think that they would be out there with shotguns and booby traps all over the place. Barbed wire surrounding the perimeter. Stacks of grenades sitting by the door just ready and waiting for the military to come and drive them off." It was plain to Mark that Jesse had once again launched his imagination into overdrive.

"Jesse, I think you've been reading those mercenary magazines too much lately." Mark couldn't help but laugh at the boy.

Jesse looked up at his friend and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I guess I just tend to get carried away sometimes. But you have to admit that it's odd that they aren't at least out there trying to hold off a posse with at least one of those shotguns that they said the old man and woman were waving around."

"I agree it does sound odd. I'm thinking that maybe they just might be hiding out some place on that land. There's hills and woods all up through there. They could be holding Steve any where." Mark shook his head thoughtfully.

"I wonder how Steve is doing? I hope that they haven't hurt him." Jesse looked worried.

"You know, for some reason I'm not worried about him. I feel they're taking good care of him." Mark mused.

"How can you be so certain? You don't know anything about them. I mean it could be 'Deliverance' all over again." Jesse was starting to once more go off on a tangent.

"Deliverance?" Mark smiled at his little friend and chuckled.

"Yeah. You know that movie with Ned Beatty and Burt Reynolds in it. You know where those hillbillies kidnapped them and stuff. Going down a river. Running for their lives." When Jesse saw the look on Mark's face he began to loose steam and just settled for, "Well it could happen. Maybe not quite like that but you know sort of like that. Ok, but I bet he's eating possum and grits. I bet by now he'd even settle for something you cooked up from that gourmet cooking web site that you like so well."

Mark continued to chuckle at his friend amused at how he could conjure up the most fantastic scenarios. Mark had watched the video over and over from the surveillance cameras at the bank. There was something about the old couple that made him think they weren't quite the bandits every one else believed them to be. After all, the only thing taken was the deed to their property. No money or bonds, just the deed.

Mark still wanted his son home with him but he truly felt that the old couple would not hurt Steve in any way. He smiled at the mental picture of Steve trying to eat possum and grits or any other hillbilly cuisine. And just what did Jesse mean by the statement he made about Steve would even like something he cooked.

"Jesse how about you and I see if we can find a copy of that deed somewhere. It might help us to find out where they have stashed themselves and Steve. I know that they have to be holding up somewhere on that land. If we can get a look at the boundaries and see what is in that area we might be able to get an idea of where they are hiding." Mark was already gathering his jacket and keys heading for the front door.

DM

Steve spent the rest of the day just trying to keep up with the old man. He was sure that Isaiah was trying to push him to see if would be able to endure the grueling pace. The younger man did his best to keep up his end of the work but by suppertime he could feel himself fading fast. When Isaiah finally said it was time to quit for the day Steve felt that he had just been given a reprieve. He slowly made his way back to the house wishing that he could climb into a hot shower. But since the toilet was outdoors he doubted that they even had a shower.

He settled for scrubbing his face and arms with lots of hot soapy water that Emma had heated up for the men to wash with. He managed to get most of the dirt off and with aching arms he combed his hair back off his forehead giving himself a fresh scrubbed look. He made his way to the table and all but fell into the chair. It took all of his strength to sit up straight and not slump over.

After the grace had been said Emma started to pile his plate full of fresh cooked vegetables, homemade biscuits, and fried chicken. Steve was so tired that he really couldn't appreciate the wonderful food that Emma had worked so hard on. About half way through the meal Isaiah just happened to look up and managed to move Steve's plate out of the way as the young cop fell over onto the table in a dead sleep.

"That's the trouble with younguns today. They don't know how to put in a days worth of work." Complained Isaiah.

"You hush up, old man. Seems to me that boy done put in a day just like you. He managed to hold up and didn't once complain about it neither. I know what you was trying to do too." Emma scolded her husband.

"What's that, old woman?" Isaiah shot back at his wife.

"You wanted to show him up. You wanted to prove that he wasn't as good as Robbie. Well he fooled you didn't he? He stuck right with you all the way. He don't know farm life. He ain't never lived on a farm. But he sure enough stuck it out. That alone earns him my respect and it should earn him yours too." Emma reached over and gently caressed Steve's cheek as his head rested on the table.

Isaiah looked at his wife as she stroked the boy's face. Not that he would ever admit it but he was extremely impressed with the way Steve had stuck in there with him until he had finally said it was time to quit. The truth of the matter was Emma was right. He had tried to prove that the city kid couldn't handle the same work out that he put himself through everyday. He had pushed himself a little hard hoping that Steve would give out before him. He had finally given up after they finished re-roofing the hen house. In fact it was Steve who had climbed up on the ladder and hammered all the boards into place and shingled it. Isaiah had merely handed him the materials.

"Well it don't matter now. He's so far gone we won't ever get him awake. I better haul him to bed before he gets a crick in his neck." Isaiah swiftly hauled Steve over his shoulder and carried him to his room. Emma scurried ahead in order to pull the covers back. Once they had settled the tired detective for the night, the couple went back into the kitchen where Emma began cleaning up after their supper.

While Isaiah sat at the table sharpening his work knives he began to chuckle. "That kid is goin' to be so sore tomorrow he ain't gonna be able to move."

"Shame on you for laughin' about that. He's a good boy and don't deserve you makin' fun of him." Emma was a little more than put out with her husband.

"I think since tomorrow is Sunday, you can just do what little chores there are and that boy in there can take the day off. I'm goin' to first soak him in a hot tub of water, then rub him down with that liniment oil. If I do that a couple of times then by Monday he ought to be back good as new."

"He'll be a lovin' you for that. If the smell don't get to him the burn from that liniment will." Isaiah continued to chuckle over what lay in store for the city boy tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four 

When Steve finally opened his eyes the next morning he knew he had to get moving soon. His need to walk that little path out back was getting serious. He started to roll over and sit up when all of a sudden the whole world started spinning. He moaned so loud that it sounded more like a tortured cry. He couldn't move anything on his body without it screaming back at him in agony. Steve wasn't even sure if he could sit let alone stand.

Hearing her young guest's pain, Emma was soon by his side with a very worried look on her face.

"I heard you cry out. Are you ok?" She asked

"I don't think I can get up. My arms, my legs and my back, well pretty much every muscle in my body, wants to be on hiatus at the moment. Each time I try to move they scream for me to stop. PLEASE don't say anything to Isaiah about this. He already thinks I'm a wimp any way." Steve was trying to get the courage to try and sit up again.

"Don't you worry about what that old man thinks. He pushed you too hard yesterday and he knew what he was a doin' when he done it. Besides in his needin' to show you up he had to push himself around a mite too. He groaned a bit when his feet hit the floor this mornin'. Now let me help you to sit up in the bed here." Emma reached for Steve and tugged, helping him into a sitting position.

Steve couldn't help but cry out as he threw his legs over to the floor. Every inch of his body seemed to have a complaint. He also noticed that he was wearing another nightshirt.

"You know this is getting to be a bad habit." He looked up at Emma smiling at her with his eyes.

"And what would that be young man?" She asked as she went to pull clean clothes from the dresser.

"This is the second time I have woke up wearing this night-gown thing and not even remembering how I got in bed to begin with." He grimaced as he tried to stand up so that he could take care of pressing matters.

Emma quickly reached out to steady him as he swayed slightly once he managed to actually get his bottom to vacate the side of the bed.

"You fell asleep at the table last night. Isaiah carried you to bed and we got you tucked in." She reluctantly let go of his arm as he started to walk stiffly to the door.

"I bet Isaiah didn't have any trouble walking to the outhouse this morning." Steve said grimly while making his way to the back door.

Emma chuckled as she began to set things up for him to take a hot soaking bath. Isaiah came in chuckling himself. He saw Steve making his way down the path and noticed how wobbly he seemed.

"You know I almost feel bad about what I did to that kid yesterday." He continued to chuckle as he watched Steve slowly make his way to the privy.

"Well, since your a feelin' so bad about it, why don't you go and haul that tub in here for me so I can get him a hot bath set up? He can soak some of that soreness out." She threw her husband a look of disapproval.

"You really think that boy is going to let you strip him down and put him in that bath with out a fight." Isaiah was starting to have fun at the up coming battle he felt sure was about to commence.

"I ain't too worried about it. He's so sore he won't be puttin' up much of a fight. Besides it's for his own good. Now help me move the table over to the wall so we can get that thing in here." She set about her chore wanting to at least have the first pail of hot water in the tub before the young man got back.

By the time Steve had managed to make his return to the house, Emma had his bath almost full. She was gauging the temperature with her elbow to make sure that it was tolerable to get into without scalding him.

"What's that for?" Steve looked from Emma to her husband with total confusion all over his face.

Smirking at him Isaiah readily answered. "It's for you, Boy."

Steve went into shock at Isaiah's latest revelation. "Oh no. I can't take a bath out here in the open." He backed up one step as if to make for the door.

Emma was quick and grabbed him by the arm dragging him over to the tub of steaming water. "Nonsense, Child. There ain't no one but me and Isaiah here."

Steve grabbed her hand as she began pulling at his nightshirt. "My point exactly. I don't usually take a bath in the kitchen with total strangers supervising my every move. Ouch."

Emma slapped his hand as Steve tried to hold on to his nightshirt and his dignity. "You better let go, Boy, or I'm going to find that razor strap. Now the best thing for you is to soak in a hot tub of water and then I'm going to rub you down with the liniment oil."

By this time Isaiah had joined the tug of war and Steve realized he was about to lose. In order to salvage some of his dignity he held up his hands in surrender and conceded.

"OK, OK. Just leave me alone and I will get into the water. Believe it or not I've been bathing myself for several years now. I think I can figure out how to get into this tin bucket alone. So just go away and I promise I'll climb in. Please."

"I swear I ain't never seen anyone put up such a fuss about getting' bathed. See to it he gets in there and don't let him fall when he climbs over. He ain't that steady on his feet yet." Still mumbling to herself, Emma left the room to fetch clean towels and washrags.

Steve resigned himself to the fact that Isaiah was not going to leave. If he was honest with himself he wasn't too sure he was going to be able to climb in without some assistance. The sides of the tub were so high he had trouble lifting his leg up enough to get it over without his muscles protesting with a vengeance.

After he got used to the heat from the water Steve settled down for a long soak. Actually it felt good to his sore body. He leaned back and closed his eyes letting the hot steamy water lull him into peaceful state of euphoria. He was rudely brought back to the kitchen when he felt the waters stirring. When he opened his eyes he found Emma dipping her hand in to check the temperature.

"What are you doing?" Steve jerked up straight grabbing her hand.

"For goodness sakes, Boy. Will you calm down? I was only checkin' to make sure the water was still hot enough. You act like no one ever give you a bath before."

Steve thought back to his sweet dear Mrs. Grant. What was it about older women always thinking they had to give you a bath before you died of dirt rot?

With an attitude and just enough sarcasm, Steve answered. "Oh, I have been given a bath before. I have my own personal bath fairy at home who seems to take every opportunity she can to dunk me into hot soapy water to ensure I stay germ free. Doesn't mean I enjoy it though."

"I think I like her already. She seems like someone after my own heart." Emma answered with her own brand of sarcasm as she took another pail of hot water off the stove.

After pouring the pail into the tub Emma made her way to the hall. As she started through the door she looked over her shoulder and informed Steve he had better not move. Wincing at the glare that she had given him Steve sank lower into the tub as if the water would protect him from her wrath if she got more riled up.

Isaiah sat at the kitchen table chuckling at his young guest. "You wait, Son. The worst is yet to come."

"What could be worse than this?" Steve asked grudgingly.

"She ain't hauled you out of there and bathed you down with that liniment oil yet." Isaiah continued to smile as he sat, smoked his pipe and worked on an old crossword puzzle book.

"That doesn't sound so bad. Anyway not as bad as being bathed by a total stranger." Steve continued to fuss.

"Well you ain't smelled it. And when the burn sets in you'll think the hide is being peeled off your bones. It tends to sting a bit." Steve noticed the smirk on the older man's face and wasn't sure if he liked that Isaiah seemed to be having so much fun at his expense.

"Did she treat your son like this?" Steve wanted to change the focus from him to something else.

"Oh yeah. But he grew up with his mamma treating him like he was still in short pants and accepted it better than you seem to be."

"I guess my mom wasn't much better. It's just that she died a while back and it's only been Dad and me for the last several years, although he tends to get rather protective at times. I guess that's just parents for you."

"You didn't have any brothers or sisters?" Isaiah asked.

"I had a sister, but she got married and left not long after my mom died. She never came around much after that. She passed away a couple of years ago." Steve couldn't hide the hurt in his voice.

"Emma said that you was in Viet Nam like my Robbie." Isaiah offered.

"Yes, Sir. I served almost two tours. I got wounded in my leg and had to come home just before the end of the second one. I made a lot of friends over there. It was tough when I had to leave them." Steve ducked his head wishing he could think of something to say in order to change the subject.

Isaiah had other plans however. Speaking barely above a whisper he asked Steve. "Son, I was wondering if maybe you could tell me what it was like over there. I want to know what it was like for my boy."

Steve looked up into the old man's eyes and he could see the pain that was still there. Telling Isaiah about Nam would not help him get his boy back. It would only add to the pain that was already there.

"It won't make you feel any better. It's best if you don't know how it was." Steve pleaded with Isaiah not wanting to hurt him.

"Look, Son. I know it was a hard time for you boys. But I need to know. I owe it to Robbie. He was my only child. I need to know what it was like for him. You can help me, Son. Please, will you help me?" Steve could not ignore the pleading in the old man's voice or eyes as he made this request.

Unable to hold eye contact any longer Steve bowed his head and began speaking quietly dreading the hurt he was about to inflict on this grieving father.

"It gets hot over there. You sweat all the time. Your clothes stick to you because you never seem to dry out. Sometimes it's so humid you almost can't take a decent breath. Bugs eat at you constantly. At times you just want to claw at your body, and that's the good part.

"In the beginning you don't try to count the days until your time is up because it's too far off. In the end you don't count them because you don't want to know how many days you have to try and stay alive. Each day that gets closer to you going home brings more fear that you won't make it.

"You learn to watch every step you make. If you land on a mine you could blow yourself and half your platoon away. Trip wires were everywhere.

"You learn how to move around in the jungle so that you won't be heard. The slightest sound could give away your position and that would be fatal for everyone.

"You analyze every sound you hear. Your ears become a vital part of your survival. Every tree could hold a sniper just waiting to put a bullet in you and that's a thought you live with from the very first day you set foot in that place. You never know when you might be the next to go down. I had friends who simply fell dead by my side and I never heard a thing until it was too late. It was like playing Russian Roulette.

"You learn how to sleep with one eye open at all times. If you close them both you won't ever open them again. When you do wake up the next morning you thank God that you lived another day.

"It wasn't just a war about killing and defeating an enemy. They made sure that you brought the war home with you. You live with it for the rest of your life. Night after night you heard screaming and crying. Men begging to die. And you know that some of those men are your friends. The wounded that had to be left behind because there were too many to carry out of the firestorm. Sometimes I still hear them." This last sentence was said barely above a whisper.

"I can't even describe the things I saw. I never witnessed mutilations like that before and I hope I never do again. Dying over there wasn't the worse thing that could happen to you. Becoming a prisoner was." At this point tears were streaming down Steve's face. He started to sob quietly trying to purge himself of the memories that had been forced to the surface as he tried to fill Isaiah's request.

Unknown to both men Emma had been standing just outside the door hidden from view. She heard every word that Steve had told Isaiah. It broke her heart to hear of the horrors that her son and this young man had faced while trying to serve their country. She quietly walked over to her husband and rested a gentle hand on his arm. They looked at each other for a few seconds and then she told Isaiah it was time to get Steve out of the tub. She placed clean towels and underwear on the table and then left the room to give him some privacy.

Clearing his throat Isaiah reached for Steve to assist him and keep him steady so he wouldn't slip while climbing out. "It's time to get you out of there, Boy. You might shrivel up to nothing if you stay any longer." As he helped Steve to stand he softly said in his ear. "Thank you, Son. I know that was hard for you."

Once he was sure that the young man was steady on his feet he handed Steve a towel and left him to finish getting dried off. Isaiah found Emma in their bedroom sitting on the side of the bed crying. He sat down next to her and placed his arm around his wife. Together they sat quietly reflecting on what their guest had just told them.

Steve rummaged through the towels and soon realized that Emma had only brought him a pair of shorts. He began searching for the discarded nightshirt when he realized that it had been removed as well. This little discovery had him fussing and fuming at the prospect of not being able to get fully dressed before he was subjected to further administrations from his hostess.

Hearing the young man using words she didn't approve of, Emma grabbed the liniment and made her way back into the kitchen. Taking Steve by the arm she forced him into a chair admonishing the use of such ugly talk. She informed him that one more word and she would shove a bar of soap into his mouth and see if he could clean up his language.

Once Emma started to rub the oily medicine into his aching body Steve soon forgot all about the conversation with Isaiah. The smell alone nearly made him pass out. About two minutes after she began to rub the slippery mess on him a slow deep burning sensation began. It seemed to grow in intensity by the minute. Soon new tears were rolling out of his eyes from the hot burning on his skin. For the next thirty minutes Steve squirmed and fidgeted as the oil burned into his joints and muscles. He certainly hoped that if he survived Emma's treatment that it worked. He hated to think that he was being tortured for nothing.

Sporting a clean shirt and overalls, Steve decided to go for a walk. Isaiah eyed him suspiciously. "You don't know your way around here, Boy. I suggest you stay in sight of the house. I don't wanna' have to go looking for you cause you done got yourself lost. You understand me?"

Steve heard every word that Isaiah had said but he chose not to answer him. He knew exactly what Isaiah meant and it didn't set very well with him. Instead he chose to just walk on to the creek. Isaiah wasn't about to let the cop go without an understanding between them. He raised his voice and repeated. "I said do you understand me?" For some reason this angered Steve and he swung around to the older man and he made his position clear.

"I understand you. But you need to understand this. I'm no tenderfoot when it comes to the outdoors. I know how to get around on my own. I know for a fact that we are somewhere north of LA. I know that more than likely by the look of the country around here we are about twenty miles north at least. So don't think that I can't take care of myself, Isaiah. I know how to get back to LA…. by myself." Steve pinned the older man down with a glare.

Not being intimidated at all, Isaiah spat back at Steve. "If you know how to get back to town, Boy then why ain't you headed that way before now."

The question didn't surprise Steve as much as his answer did. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to share it with this ornery proud old man or not. After thinking on it for a bit he finally looked at Isaiah and in a quiet and gentle voice he replied.

"If I leave you two now, I might not be able to help you. I have to try and convince you to turn yourself in so that we can get this taken care of. I don't want to see you or Emma getting hurt."

Isaiah stood and stared at Steve for a second before he asked, "Why do you care so much about me and Emma anyway?"

"I don't know. Maybe because it would be wrong for anything to happen to you." Hanging his head down a bit Steve quietly continued. "I guess I owe it to Robbie to see to it that you get out of this without getting hurt. Now I'm going to go for a short walk down by the creek. I just want some time to think. Besides I'm no stranger to sore muscles. If you don't keep active then it takes longer to work out the kinks."

As Steve started towards the creek again Isaiah shouted after him. "Don't stay too long. Emma will be fixin' lunch soon and you skipped breakfast."

Steve merely raised his hand in reply and continued on. He knew that somehow he had to convince the couple to turn themselves in. He could have the kidnapping charges dropped. The bank hold up was going to be tough though. If only his dad were here to help him figure out how to help them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

"Jesse look at this. According to these records, the Tanners have kept the taxes paid up on that land ever since they bought it. In fact the note was paid off before it was due. I wonder why the bank is trying to collect on back taxes?" Mark peered at his friend from over his glasses.

"I don't think that they are collecting for back taxes. I think the taxes were raised and now the bank is trying to control the land by paying up the increase and grab the land out from under them. Look at last year's forms. The taxes have gone from four thousand to twelve thousand since then. I think that's just a little too big of a jump from one year to the next." Jesse passed the papers he was looking at over to Mark.

"This doesn't make any sense. That land shouldn't have increased in value so much in such a short time. A few hundred dollars maybe, but not several thousand. Something isn't right here." Mark got up and made his way to his desk in the den.

"I'm going to call the land office tomorrow and see if there has been any new businesses or maybe a new community that might be trying to develop in that area. If someone wants that land and the couple aren't interested in selling it could explain a lot." Mark smiled at Jesse. He knew he was on to something and he planned to pursue it until he could find his son.

DM

Steve hadn't put on any shoes before he came to the creek so he just rolled up his pants legs and waded in. He missed being by the ocean. It was one of the things that helped him to think clearly and make tough decisions. As he waded around in the shallow clear water he tried to understand what had taken place the other day.

Emma and Isaiah had only taken the deed to their property. Why did the bank have it to begin with? If the land had already been paid for then it should have been in their possession. Steve made a mental note to ask about that.

As he continued to wade in the creek his thoughts wandered to his father. He hated not having a way to let his dad know that he was ok. He felt certain that he and Jesse were already well on the case. If anyone could find him they could.

To be honest Steve really didn't want anyone to find him. He didn't want to think about what might happen if the police stormed this place and demanded the old couple surrender. The last thing he wanted was for Emma or Isaiah to get hurt. He knew that, given time, he had a good shot at helping them sort this whole ugly mess out. But did he have time? Steve didn't know, and that thought lay heavily on his mind. The only thing he could do was to go back and maybe try to talk some sense into the couple before it was too late.

DM

Steve stepped back into the kitchen following the aroma of something delicious. The smell of apple pie made him realize just how hungry he was. One thing about it, since he had been here the food had been delicious. Steve was grateful that he could recognize everything that had been put before him; unlike some of his father's more creative efforts at cooking. Mark loved to try new dishes from various parts of the world much to his son's dismay.

"Something sure smells good." Steve tried to break up any tension that might still be hanging around from the morning's earlier conversation.

"Well, I bet you are hungry. Seein' as how you missed your breakfast this mornin' and fell into your supper last night. Let's see if you can stay awake for this one." Isaiah smiled at Steve letting him know that everything was ok between them.

"I don't think I'll have any trouble staying awake. I don't seem to be as tired as I was last night." Steve gave Isaiah a wink letting the old man know that he knew about the way he had pushed him.

Isaiah cleared his throat and gave Steve a sheepish grin. "I guess I should apologize for that. I want you to know you did a fine job holdin' up. I doubt any man could have done better. Given time I bet I might turn you into a fair enough farm hand."

The comment was said as a show of affection, but Steve could only grimace at the thought of waking up every morning to the daily grind of farm chores. He much preferred the spontaneity of a cop's life. You never knew from one day to the next what you would be faced with. He was good at handling the unexpected, well some of the time anyway.

The three sat and ate lunch leisurely talking about nothing in particular. After his second piece of pie and third glass of milk, Steve finally pushed back from the table and declared he couldn't eat another bite.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Steve and Isaiah playing checkers and talking about the land and what it was worth. Isaiah told Steve how he and Emma had sacrificed and saved to pay off the property long before the note was due. He talked about the hike in the tax over the last year.

"If the land was paid for, how come the bank was holding the deed to the property?" Steve asked.

"It ain't the original deed. It was one that the banker man had printed up and filed sayin' that we was delinquent on our taxes. We paid our tax like we always do at the beginnin' of the year. Then them skunks come back and tells me and Mamma that we still owed them about eight thousand dollars. I just laughed at 'em and told 'em to get off my land. But they come up with this deed sayin' we was overdue and that the deed we had was no good any more. Said our late fees was being paid by some Ashton feller and he was going to buy up the property and that deed would prove he owned this land. So me and Mamma, we come up with a plan and we went to town and took that deed and now nobody can prove they own our land."

After Isaiah finished with his story, Steve sat for a long time looking at the older man absorbing what he had just been told.

"Isaiah, just because you stole the deed doesn't solve anything. We have to get a lawyer to look into this. It sounds to me like a clear-cut case of land fraud. Please, come back to town with me tomorrow and let me help you. I can get my dad to lend a hand and maybe even get the charges dropped on the bank hold up. Since I can prove the guns were unloaded then maybe we can have the charges dropped from armed and dangerous to plain desperate." Steve grinned at the older man in hopes of winning him over.

"I don't think so, Boy. I appreciate what you're a tryin' to do for us. But I ain't going to no jail at my age. Ain't no one knows where we is. I plan to finish the rest of my days out here." Though the old man was being kind he was firm with his answer.

"Dammit, Isaiah. You don't get it. They'll find you and trust me you won't win. At least if we go back to LA together we have a shot at solving this thing without any one getting hurt." Steve's patience was beginning to wear thin and it showed in his response to Isaiah.

"Watch your language, young man! I will not let you use swear words in this house." Emma admonished Steve.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. But if you two don't come to your senses, when the police finally do find you, and mark my words they will find you, swear words will be the least of your worries." Steve stood abruptly and stormed out the back door.

Steve sat outside the rest of the afternoon fuming over the stubbornness of the older couple. He refused to come in for supper and it wasn't until Emma showed up with a wooden breadboard in her hand, threatening to tan his sitting down place that he reluctantly went to his chair at the table.

In spite of the fact that he was still angry with both of them he managed to put away his share of the meal and finished off the rest of the apple pie. Steve couldn't stifle his yawning while picking up some of the dishes and placing them into the dishwater that was ready for clean up. He remained sullen the whole time he wiped off the plates and other dishes putting them in the cupboard for the next day. Emma smiled to herself as she remembered how Robbie would pout when he didn't get his way.

Once the dishes had been washed and the floor swept, Isaiah once again drug in the big metal tub from the back room. Steve paid little attention as Emma started to fill it up with hot water. He went outside and down the path for the last time that night before turning in for bed. When he stepped back into the kitchen Steve was a little more than irritated to find that he was once again expected to go through the earlier routine of soaking and then sitting still while the ointment was applied to his sore muscles.

"I don't need to do this again." He argued.

"Hush up and get outta them clothes and sit down in this tub now! You don't know what you need." Emma stood firm and when Steve looked over at Isaiah he realized that the old man was just standing and waiting to assist his wife if need be.

Giving Emma a look that clearly indicated she needed to leave he continued to stand and wait for her to exit the kitchen. Emma huffed but left the room to let her over-modest guest have a few minutes to duck into the water.

"I'm coming back in two minutes and you better be sittin' in that tub soakin' when I get there!" She informed her equally stubborn young guest.

Steve quickly prepared to sit once again in the hot water. After he had settled back for the allotted time of soaking he closed his eyes and tried to think of what he could say or do to convince the obstinate couple that he was right about going into town and turning themselves in.

Fifteen minutes later he was forced to once again sit for the torture of the liniment fussing the whole time about the smell and the burning. Isaiah laughed as Emma scolded him for wiggling and acting like a baby. Finally she announced that she was finished and handed Steve a clean nightshirt and sent him off to bed.

DM

Isaiah sat on the edge of their bed taking off his boots. Emma puttered around the dresser pulling the pins out of her hair. She watched her husband from the mirror as she began to brush through the long gray tresses. She could tell something was on his mind. Years of living with the man had taught her that when he was ready to tell her his thoughts he would. She continued to brush her hair and as she did she braided it and made small talk hoping that he wouldn't make her wait too long. It wasn't to be and he held his troubles inside. Through with her nightly routine, she went to the bed and blew out the lamp. She laid next to her husband while her thoughts drifted through the days events. She thought about her son and about her guest. Her heart ached for both of them.

Back in his own room, Steve kept going over the conversation with Isaiah. He knew if he could convince the old man to go along with him that Emma would follow easily enough. She seemed to rely on Isaiah's judgement when it came to important matters about the farm, but Steve was running out of time and he knew it.

The last thing he remembered before finally drifting off to sleep was the conversation he had with Isaiah about Viet Nam.

DM

It was hot and his skin felt clammy and sticky. He strained his ears trying to distinguish the rustling noises off to the right of him. It was so quiet that all he could really hear were the mosquitoes buzzing close to his ear. He knew if he moved he would more than likely be shot down. All his senses were on high alert hoping that the sound would come again. Muscles cramped, as the young soldier remained motionless. The jungle all around him smelled of rotten vegetation and death. He swallowed hard, concentrating on keeping perfectly still, knowing the slightest sound would give away his position. Suddenly a movement to the left of him caught his eye. He wanted to scream 'NO!' But to do so would mean guaranteed death. One of his comrades was breaking cover. Steve shut his eyes tight but the scream that came from the fallen soldier vibrated through his head. He concentrated on breathing. He knew if he could continue to breathe steadily that he would stay in control. Suddenly there was a burst of gunfire. Steve looked up just in time to see a unit of Viet Cong firing into the bush where he and his platoon had been holding up trying to out wait the snipers that had already taken out four of the soldiers. Getting into a low crouch the young man began to fire onto the enemy as they continued to advance on the beaten down soldiers. Right in front of his eyes he saw J.D. go down. He had been so close that the blood had splattered on Steve's face and helmet. Before he could stop himself he began to scream No. Over and over he screamed.

Steve felt himself being picked up and held fast. Haveing no idea who was restraining him, he began to struggle in fear of becoming a prisoner. It took several minutes of Isaiah fighting him and hanging on before Steve realized that he was no longer in the hot jungles of Viet Nam. No longer could he hear the rapid gunfire coming from the battle. The screams and cries of anguish faded away. The only sound that could be heard were the night sounds coming from the open window and the soothing words that were being spoken by Isaiah and Emma and his own laboured breathing.

Isaiah held the younger man close waiting for him to calm down a little. Steve swallowed hard trying to get a grip but the nightmare had been too real. It took several minutes before he had the will or the strength to push away from the older man, but as soon as he did he was over taken with a chill. His bedding and clothing were soaked with sweat and damp hair was clinging to his scalp. Emma retrieved a dry nightshirt and Steve quickly changed. Isaiah insisted that he be put in his and Emma's bed. Steve protested but soon lost as Isaiah insisted and Steve was too exhausted to argue.

"I'm sorry, Boy. It's my fault you had that dream. I thought after what you told me this mornin' I had me a pretty good idea about what you boys went through over there. I was wrong. Hearing you scream out like you did I guess nobody could know unless they lived through it. I wish I had left well enough alone." Isaiah was feeling guilty about Steve's nightmare.

Steve put out a hand, touching the old man on the arm. "I don't want you to blame yourself for a bad dream. I still have them sometimes."

"But if I hadn't made you tell me about what it was like over there then you wouldn't have been havin' that nightmare." Replied Isaiah.

"No that's not necessarily true. Sometimes yes things trigger them. But a lot of times I just have them. I get over it. They don't last long or linger. Please, don't blame yourself. I'm fine." Steve could see the doubt in Isaiah's eyes but was relieved when he nodded his head.

"Ok, Boy. But I won't be bringin' it up again. Anythin' I can do for ya?" He asked

"Yeah. You and Emma can go back to LA with me tomorrow." Steve knew he was talking at a wall. That's why Isaiah's response was such a surprise.

"We'll talk about it again in the mornin', Boy. Right now you best be gettin' to sleep." With that he reached over and blew out the lamp.

Isaiah continued to sit with Steve waiting for him to drift off. Usually he couldn't go back to sleep after having a dream like this. However, the older man's presence seemed to remind him of his father, giving him enough comfort tosurrenderinto a deep slumberwith more pleasant images to fill his dreams.

Isaiah finally got up and went to the other bedroom. He found his wife sitting on the side of the freshly changed bed holding a pillow in her arms with her face buried in it. Sitting down next to her he put his arm around her shoulders. For a long time Emma sat and just let her pent up emotions out. She cried for her son and for the young man that lay in her bed. She cried for the fact that her son didn't make it home and for the fact that Steve brought a piece of it back with him. For a long time the old couple just sat, side by side, and comforted each other with their presence. After a long time Isaiah reached and pulled his wife around to face him.

"I want to talk to that boy about goin' into town tomorrow. I think maybe we ought to listen to what he has to say. I don't want you livin' like a fugitive the rest of your life."

Emma looked at her husband and nodded. "Why have you changed your mind? I thought you was dead set against lettin' the law take care of this."

"I was. But that young man in there needs his own papa. He won't leave unless we agree to go with him and let the law handle this affair. It's my fault that he had that bad dream. I pushed him into tellin' me about what life was like over there for them boys. He didn't want to, Emma. I made him. After listenin' to him I realized that we owe it to Robbie to do the right thing. We owe it to that young man in there." Isaiah sighed as he gathered his wife into his arms.

Softly she said to her husband as she snuggled into his embrace. "You know whatever you decide I'll do. I just want what is best for you and for that boy. If you think we should go with him then that's what we are goin' to do."

The two old people lay down and soon went to sleep. The next day was going to be a busy day for all of them. Busier than any of them could even imagine.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

"Lake View Resort." Mark looked grimly at his young friend.

"And what is Lake View Resort?" Jesse asked puzzled.

"It's a project that Clay Ashton and his investors are trying to push through. And guess where it's to be located?" Mark asked.

"I'm just guessing here, but I bet it is probably right smack dab in the middle of what is known at the moment as the Tanner property." Jesse smiled at Mark satisfied that they had at least gained a toehold in the investigation.

"You win the prize, my friend. They made an offer on the land about nine months ago. The Tanners turned them down. Now suddenly there is a threat of foreclosure on the property for overdue taxes. A coincidence? I don't think so. Apparently, since Ashton couldn't get the property one way he decided to get it another. From what I have read it's his favorite way." Mark looked disgusted over the information he had just conveyed to Jesse.

"This can't be legal. I mean he can't just go and put a property tax on the land and walk off with it." Jesse looked at Mark wondering how this could happen.

"You can if you're Clay Ashton, worth about twenty million dollars. According to the information I gathered he has just about every bank CEO in his hip pocket."

"Gee. I guess money really does talk." Jesse looked at the sheets of paper Mark handed him.

"According to these records it's not the first time he's pulled this. By the time anyone finds out about his methods, the deal is already done and the project is half finished. Most of the the poor victim are so overwhelmed by all that is happening they just sell at a much lower price, afraid they might lose everything if they don't. His lawyers keep the authorities at bay with litigations and other legal mumbo jumbo. The only people who get hurt or lost in the whole damn thing are the Tanners of this world. My guess is they decided to take care of things themselves." Mark looked like a man who was about to launch an assault of his own.

"So, what do we do first?" Jesse asked only too eager to help out anyway possible.

"First I plan to talk with Steve's Captain. I want him to be well aware of Ashton's interest in that land. He might have information that can help the police find Steve. Then I plan to make a little visit to the bank president and see what he has to say." Mark was already headed for the door when Jesse fell into step not wanting to be left out of the loop.

DM

Steve woke up slowly feeling sluggish and a little disoriented. He was confused at the fact that he wasn't in his room. This thought made him pause as a smile crossed his face. He wasn't sure when it happened but now he no longer felt like a prisoner but a part of this small family. His feelings for these people were not of hostility or resentment but of genuine concern and affection. A lot had happened since Isaiah had forced him into the back seat of that old station wagon.

With caution, he began to rise from the bed. The events of last night came back to him in a flood. He remembered the dream and his reaction to it. He felt bad that it seemed to have upset Isaiah to the point that the older man was feeling guilty. Steve knew that reliving those days had probably triggered the nightmare, but there was no reason for the older man to blame himself. Steve also remembered the last words that Isaiah had said to him before he drifted off to sleep. This spurred the cop in him into action. If he could just get the Tanners to come back to LA with him, he knew they had a better chance of clearing up this whole mess.

Steve made his way to the kitchen which he found to be empty. This was rather unusual since Emma was always in there puttering around with fixing meals or doing laundry. By the position of the sun, he knew it was well up in the day by farm life standards.

"So where is everybody?" he wondered to himself. Walking out the back door, Steve made his way to the outhouse noting that neither of the old people seemed to be in sight. He did notice that the dog was, as usual, barking at birds and causing the chickens to uproar every once in a while. He had begun to get use to their constant clucking and hardly noticed any more unless something caused them to fuss louder.

When Steve stepped back into the kitchen, he still hadn't seen Emma or Isaiah. An anxious feeling of total isolation overcame him, and he realized a solitary life was something he was never meant to live. He enjoyed the little noises of living among others. Laughter that floated in on a breeze. The slamming of a car door, or the sound of traffic in front of the house. These were noises that he had taken for granted, but now missed.

He quickly made his way back to the bedroom that he now considered his and found the bed made up neatly and his own clothes laid out, freshly laundered and pressed. Steve quickly changed and when he turned to the dresser to comb his hair he noticed his phone, badge, and gun laying there waiting for him. Quickly he clipped the gun and badge to his belt and pocketed the rest of his things. Going back through the house Steve searched for his new friends. He found them both by a shed off to the right of the barn. He noticed that both were dressed as if they were going to a social function.

"What's up?" Steve asked the older couple as he approached them.

"We decided to take a little trip into town. Thought maybe you would like to go along with us. I was hopin' that we could talk about what it is you might do for us about the law an' all." Isaiah had jammed his hands into his pockets and seemed to be nervous asking his new friend for help.

"I'm sure we can work this out. It's the best thing. It will only get worse if you continue to wait. My dad can help. He seems pretty good at figuring out solutions to problems like this. Why don't we go back inside first and discuss what our options are?" Steve looked at Emma and Isaiah and both nodded leading the way back to the house.

DM

"You don't know what you're talking about, Dr. Sloan. I have done nothing to break the law." Edward Moss all but exploded in Mark's face.

"You didn't decide to raise the property taxes on this piece of land then? Strange the tax office doesn't even remember that piece of property ever coming into question. As far as they are concerned, the taxes were paid in February and that was the end of it. They don't even have a record of any tax hike." Mark glared at the balding man who was by this time sweating profusely.

"I don't know what you're accusing me of but you had better have proof. I'm well acquainted with several people who are associated with the Police department. I'm sure if I call them I can have you arrested for slander and harassment." Moss licked his lips as he fumbled for the phone on his desk.

It was a bluff and Mark called him on it.

"Go ahead and call the police. I've already made my own phone calls requesting that an investigation be launched into the recent activities that this bank has seen fit to get involved with concerning the Tanner's estate. My son was taken at gunpoint over this particular piece of land. I want to know why your bank held a title to a piece of property that was paid for nearly 15 years ago. I also want to know why taxes on it went from 4 thousand dollars to 12 thousand dollars in just a few short months." Mark gave Moss no slack in his interrogation.

"Well, you have been busy haven't you? How did you manage to get all of that information? Why should I believe that anything you have told me is true?" Moss once again licked his lips while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"It is all a matter of public record. The Tanners surprised you didn't they? You never expected them to pull what they did. Now it's about to blow up in your face and no matter how many lawyers Ashton comes up with, you will still have to answer these same questions before a board of inquiry. You better think about it. Ashton may not go down but I promise, you will." Mark gave Edward Moss one final look of disgust before he finally turned and stalked out of the man's office.

With a very shaky hand, Moss reached for the phone and dialed, waiting rather impatiently for someone to pick up on the other end of the connection. A woman answered asking whom he wished to speak with. "I need to speak with Clay Ashton NOW!" came the desperate voice.

"Mr. Ashton is not taking any calls this afternoon. May I leave a message with him?" replied the voice over the line.

"Listen. You tell Ashton that he better call me back and quick. There's a problem and if he doesn't get back with me soon, I'm going to do whatever I have to do to stay out of jail. You tell him that Edward Moss will only be waiting for about one hour then I'm going to the cops myself and tell them everything I know." With that Moss hung up the phone and looked for the number to his lawyer. He then sat down and tried to calm his nerves.

DM

"What did he say when you told him you knew about the tax hike?" Jesse asked Mark.

"He denied everything of course, but he knows he is in some hot water. I bet he tries to get a hold of Ashton today. The police are already watching both of them waiting for one or the other to make a mistake. I can't help but believe that somehow they know where the Tanners are holed up. Ashton wants that land very badly. He probably knows every rock and tree on that place. I just hope he goes out there and tries to make one last deal.

"What if he doesn't try to make a deal? What if he decides it's too hot to pursue at this time?" Jesse knew the answer before he even voiced the question.

"He's too deep now to back away from it. If he doesn't try to make a deal with the Tanners then he only has one other option, and I don't want to think about the results of that." Mark could feel a sense of foreboding as he realized that his son could be caught in the middle of a land war.

DM

"I don't want Emma to get in trouble. That whole dang thing was my harebrained idea. She just went along 'cause she's my wife. She was against it from the beginnin'." Isaiah sat and, with a determined look on his face was trying to convince Steve to keep Emma out of it.

"Look, I know that you want to protect her. So do I. Actually I want to protect both of you. But the fact of the matter is she went in the bank holding that shot gun and waved it in the air." Steve held up his hand to ward off Isaiah's protests. "I know the guns weren't loaded but it is still a serious charge. The only thing that might save us is if I can prove that your backs were up against the wall.

"You have no priors. You've proven to be law abiding up to this point. I think that the circumstances will go a long way into getting you both out of this with a minimum of trouble."

"What about kidnappin' and assault?" Isaiah looked Steve square in the face.

"I would have to press charges. I could just say that I refuse to. If I'm unwilling to press them then they can't file charges against you on that count." Steve patted the old man on the arm and smiled at him.

"I ain't no lawyer but even I can see how that might cause you some problems, Boy." Isaiah looked at Steve with concern in his eyes. He had imposed on the young man enough, and he certainly didn't want to cause him any trouble with his bosses.

"You let me worry about that. You coming in on your own will go a long way to smoothing a lot of this over. If I know my father an investigation is already underway on the tax fraud against this place."

DM

The helicopter landed in a clearing about a mile from where Steve and the Tanners were discussing and planning their next move. Four men dropped from inside and began heading towards the house. With the stealth and the precision of a seasoned reconnaissance patrol, the men moved towards their target. Three were armed with the latest in long-range firepower. The fourth held in his gloved hands a 30'06 equipped with a scope. A high-powered hunting rifle that could be bought in any hunting store. This particular rifle just happened to be registered to Isaiah Robert Tanner.

Ashton had gone into defense mode the moment he got off the phone with Edward Moss. After making a few calls, the plan to take over the Tanner place changed. He had been brewing on this idea for the past three days. He found out from Moss that the old couple had taken the cop during their little hold up. His sources had kept him apprised of all that went on in the police department. Lucky for him the detective had not been found yet. This could work to his advantage if the old couple were still holding him hostage.

It would be so easy to put a bullet in the cop and have the whole thing blamed on those crazy hillbillies. No one would have any trouble believing that he had been killed by the Tanner's while possibly trying to escape.

Not many people knew about the old house. Isaiah and his father had both been born there. His grandfather had built it almost a century earlier and started a family. When Isaiah Tanner grew up, he had married Emma Dixon almost 50 years ago. He built a new house and started farming on the southern section of the land that belonged to the Tanner family. They had raised their son there. A few months ago after the bank approached Isaiah claiming he owed more taxes the old couple had closed up their home and packed their belongings, moved the livestock and simply disappeared. No one seemed to know where they had gone.

The old farm had been forgotten after his father had died. It had been assumed that the house and other buildings had been removed. No one was aware that Isaiah and Emma had spent many days throughout the years keeping up the place. They would often spend as much as a week living there, repairing and keeping the house in good shape. Now it seemed to be paying off.

Ashton had been puzzled for quite a while until he started looking at some of the old deeds and property maps. It had been a hunch but he sent scouts to search discreetly to see if he had been right. Sure enough, the old couple had managed to move everything to the original farm that had been hidden in the hills. It wasn't much for raising crops but there was good grazing land up there for a few head of cattle. Like many others he had figured the original house and out buildings were all but gone. He was surprised to find a well-built home and barn still standing and in good shape. The old couple had fooled him and apparently a lot of other people as well.

It had never been updated with modern plumbing or electricity. This however, didn't really matter to Isaiah or Emma as they were quite use to doing without these things since they had spent so much time there. It took a couple of weeks after they had moved to get every thing settled but the old couple had been happy enough to be away from the bank people and the so called law bothering them about back taxes and eviction notices. No one knew where they were and no one had ever been to the old farm except them until Steve was taken that day.

DM

Steve and Isaiah sat at the kitchen table going over some of the details of what to expect when they headed back to town. He wanted the older people to be prepared for what would happen once they gave themselves up. Steve was trying to decide if he should try and contact his dad first or just take the couple straight to the station when something caught his attention.

"Do you hear that?" he looked at Isaiah and asked.

"Hear what, Boy? I don't hear nothin'." Suddenly it dawned on Isaiah as to what Steve meant.

"I don't hear chickens or the dog." Steve rose to go and look out at the back door.

Usually the chickens could be heard clucking around in the yard. The dog was normally busy barking at birds and other small animals that unfortunately got too close to him.

"Something's going on out here. It's way too quiet for this time of the day." Steve stood just inside the door surveying the area around the house.

Placing his hand on Steve's shoulder Isaiah grinned at him. "I just might make a country boy out you yet, Son."

Picking up the shotgun that was kept loaded by the door, Isaiah stepped outside followed by Steve. The two men split up, Isaiah heading for the wooded area while Steve headed for the barn.

The silence gave the area an eerie feeling as if something was there but not visible. Both men approached their destinations with caution. The hair on the back of their necks standing on end as the air seemed to be electrified with an unknown charge of foreboding.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the quietness was shattered as a shot rang out catching both men off guard. Steve spun around to where Isaiah had headed as the old man did the same. Both stared at each other with shock on their faces. For one of them the world started to grow dim around the edges and, as the other watched in horror, began to descend towards the ground.

Emma appeared suddenly and was immediately kneeling down beside the fallen man. He seemed to be gasping for breath and she placed her hand under him to try and gather hislimp form into her arms. As the other man joined her she watched him haul the unresisting body onto his shoulder, screaming for her to get into the house. Once inside the kitchen he shouted out orders for her to stay low as he carefully placed Steve on the floor by the old sink.

Isaiah searched the windows closest to him trying to see if he could tell who might have fired the shot. He couldn't see anything moving as he went from room to room in hopes of catching a glimpse of the sniper. The whole time Steve's words kept ringing in his ears. He now had some idea of what it must have been like for him and his son Robbie. It was a feeling he didn't relish and knowing that these boys had to live with it every day they spent over there broke his heart.

Unable to see anything, and hoping that whoever had shot Steve was well on his way back to where he had come from, Isaiah quickly made his way to the kitchen. Emma had managed to get Steve's jacket and shirt off. She had him lying on his stomach and from what Isaiah could see there was a wound in his right shoulder. Emma worked feverishly trying to staunch the flow of blood. The old couple looked at each other with concern. There was way too much blood and they knew that if they didn't get the younger man to a doctor soon he would more than likely bleed to death. While keeping his ears tuned to any noise that would alert him to anyone approaching the house, Isaiah tried to help his wife stabilize their young friend for a fast trip into town.

Once they felt like Steve could be moved Isaiah went to get the car. Before he left, he brought another gun for Emma and handed it to her without saying a word. He then crept out the door and cautiously made his way to the backside of the old barn. Inside was a fairly new Oldsmobile that he and Emma kept hidden. He got into the car and started her up quickly making for the back door. As soon as he had parked the car close enough he went back in to get his wounded friend. Carefully, he hauled him over his shoulder and followed his wife out the door. Emma crawled into the back seat and gently helped to maneuver Steve in with her, placing him over onto his side so that she could keep pressure on the wound in his shoulder.

Isaiah took one more look around trying to see if anyone was watching them. Fairly certain that they would not be followed he climbed into the driver's side of the car and headed down the road.

Once the car was out of sight and the man in camouflage was certain the area was deserted he headed to the back door and placed the 30'06 on the table where it could easily be found when the police came to investigate the shooting of one of their officers. With the gun planted the four men made their way back to the waiting helicopter now that their assignment was finished.

It seemed like it was taking hours to reach the city. Isaiah was sure that he was breaking every speed law ever written. For the first time he surely wished that a cop or a highway patrolman would catch him and maybe help him get the boy to a doctor. He kept pushing the accelerator to the floor only slowing down enough to keep from losing control as they went around curves.

He stole a glance to the back seat where Emma was hunched over Steve talking to him in a quiet and soothing tone. She glanced up once and Isaiah saw the same haunted look in her eyes as the day they had been told of Robbie's death. Tears were running down her pale face.

This was all wrong he thought. Suddenly he did something he hadn't done in a long time. "I can't go through this again, Lord. It ain't like I'm askin' for myself. It's all my fault that boy is back there fightin' for his life. Please don't punish him for what I done." Then more quietly. "Please."

As if the Heavens had just opened up and delivered, a highway patrol car pulled in behind the Oldsmobile and flashed his lights. "Wow. That sure was fast!"

Isaiah pulled off immediately and stuck his head out the window yelling at the approaching officer to come help. When the officer saw Steve laying in the back seat with blood everywhere he told Isaiah to turn on his emergency lights and to stay right on his tail. Soon the little convoy was on their way to the nearest hospital.

DM

Aston sat in his office and listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. A satisfied smile settled on his face as he listened to the report from his man. It sounded as if everything had gone according to plan. The cop was probably dead by now and the rifle planted in plain sight. The fact the stubborn couple had that car was unfortunate but still it would look like the old man shot the detective in the back while he was trying to escape. He felt sure they were trying to find a place to hide the body now. Sometimes things worked out as if you had planned it that way all along. With the Tanners behind bars for murder nothing could stand in his way of acquiring that land now.

Everything had seemed to go wrong from the start, although that didn't matter any longer. He never even considered the old couple would turn out to be so obstinate. Usually after a little shady persuasion he managed to get what he wanted and for whole lot less than it was worth.

The Tanners had proven they couldn't be manipulated as easily as the others. Aston had to give the old couple this though. When they arrived at the bank and took that worthless deed it showed they had guts. He had to admire that.

Of course taking that cop was probably their downfall. Even if he hadn't found that old map, which clearly marked the original farm, they would have eventually been forced to get rid of their hostage or turn themselves in.

Then as if things had not been bad enough, the cop's father had gotten involved. It was unfortunate for him that Dr. Sloan seemed to be so clever and equally determined to get his son back in one piece. The good doctor had gotten way too close to his personal affairs which left him no other choice but to be finished with this nasty business as soon as possible. Killing the cop was going to get him more than he could have asked for. The Tanners would be out of the way in prison and Mark Sloan would be too busy grieving for his son to continue with any more meddling.

DM

Mark stared at the map that lay in front of him. It was old and faded. The edges were tattered and it had so many creases you almost couldn't read it. He was sure that somewhere on that land the old couple was hiding out holding Steve. He wasn't particularly worried about his son being mistreated or hurt, but the parent in him would like for his child to be back home where he belonged.

After watching the tape over and over, Mark felt sure that taking Steve had just been a desperate decision at the last minute. They had been caught off guard by the presence of a cop during the fiasco. The whole thing looked to be a very miscalculated attempt to secure what rightfully had belonged to them to begin with.

According to some of the older documents, the land had belonged to the Tanners for nearly a century. There was no mention however, of where the family had built the original cabin. About 48 years ago Isaiah had built a house just before he married his wife. They had lived there until recently and that was the residence the police had found and searched thoroughly.

The police had found nothing but a locked up home that looked as if no one had lived there for several weeks. Mark was pretty sure some where in those hills the original farm still existed. Many of the records had mysteriously disappeared and Mark was lucky to get his hands on what he had.

He had wanted the police to use a helicopter to search the hills more closely in hopes they might find the home of Isaiah's ancestors. Unfortunately, Mark's theory wasn't enough to convince the police that an air search was prudent. With no proof of another house existing, or Steve still being held by the Tanners, all he could do was stare at the map for now and hope that maybe something would come into focus that would help him find his son.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

The highway patrolman led Isaiah straight to Northridge hospital. It was the closest and time was of an essence. Isaiah barely screeched to a halt before he jumped from the front and jerked the back door open. As he reached into the car to haul the younger man out he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up two orderlies were standing ready to remove Steve from the seat and place him on a gurney. He quickly stepped to the side and let the men do their job. Once inside, Isaiah and Emma hovered by the door that Steve had disappeared through hoping and praying that the next time they saw the doctor he would have something positive to tell them.

The highway patrolman walked up to the old couple, led them over to a row of chairs and began to gently question them about the man they had just brought in to be treated for a gunshot wound. Isaiah began to explain that Steve was a police officer with the LAPD when a nurse suddenly appeared and handed Emma a small plastic sack and told her that these were her son's personal belongings. Emma accepted the bag with shaking hands and thanked the nurse politely. She sat quietly while Isaiah told the patrolman that Steve had been shot at their place and that he and Emma had tried to get him here as fast as they could.

She only half listened as the patrolman continued to question Isaiah about the shooting. Very carefully opening the bag Emma took out Steve's wallet and badge. Gently she ran her fingers over the gold of the shield tracing the numbers and letters with her fingers. Holding the cold metal to her lips, she silently began to cry.

She had known that somehow this young man would break her heart. It never occurred to her that it would be like this. She hadn't felt so alone or helpless since they got word that Robbie had been shot and killed.

She stared down in her lap and picked up the wallet and looked inside. The life of Steve Sloan was all laid out in pictures and clippings. She had opened the small leather case once before but hadn't wanted to pry into what was not her business. Now she wanted to know everything she could about the young man who had wormed his way into her heart. Two pictures caught her eye first. One was of a white-haired gentleman and very attractive blonde woman. They were dressed in clothes that told her that both were probably at some fancy party. He was wearing a tuxedo and she wore a dark blue formal that went to the floor. Emma turned the picture over and read: 'Mom and Dad at the awards dinner for Dad.'

She stared at the picture for a while realizing that this was his father and mother. Looking at the man first, she saw those same blue eyes and that same cut of his chin. Steve had definitely inherited his mother's smile. Fresh and beautiful, the woman looked at her husband adoringly. These were the people responsible for that fine young man's character and values, and now he lay behind those doors fighting for his life.

Very gently, Emma replaced the picture where she found it and retrieved the second one. Her eyes scanned the two people who were smiling at her and she could see that it was a slightly younger version of Steve. His arm was around the waist of the pretty blonde woman standing next to him and both were looking very elegant in their formal attire. She turned over the picture and saw written on the back, 'Me and Carol at the awards banquet for Dad.'

She had heard Steve mention that he had a sister named Carol who had died. Emma studied the picture for several minutes. Yes, this must be her for she had those same blue eyes as her father and brother. She carefully replaced the pictures back into the wallet and continued her search.

A folded piece of paper turned out to be a pay check for Steve Sloan. It was the check from the police department. '_He must have been goin' to put it in the bank when we busted in there,'_ she thought. She folded the paper back up and placed it where she had found it. Continuing her search, Emma noticed two small pieces of paper tucked away in the corner of the wallet. Both had been laminated and appeared to be obituaries. One looked like it was a little yellowed so she read that one first. It was for a Katherine Elizabeth Sloan, wife of Dr. Mark Sloan. Mother to Steven Michael and Carol Elizabeth Sloan.

She read the next one and it was for his sister Carol. These two tiny articles told her so much about the young man that she had lost her heart too. She could feel how much he loved and missed these women who had been a big part of his life. For him to carry these clippings with him all the time showed he wanted to keep them close to his heart.

Once again she replaced the tiny pieces back exactly where she had found them. Her search now only turned up the various credit cards. Social security card. In case of an Emergency card. She stopped suddenly and took a close look at the last card. In Case Of Emergency. She scanned the card closely. Contact: Dr. Mark Sloan. Several numbers were listed underneath along with an address in Malibu.

"Isaiah. Look at this. This is that boy's daddy. We need to call him right away and let him know that his son is hurt." Emma was pulling at her husband's arm.

"His name wouldn't be Steve Sloan would it, Ma'am?" The officer asked as he caught a glimpse of the card that Emma was holding up for them to see.

"Yes it is. Can you help us get a hold of his daddy? I think he needs to be here." Emma looked at the officer pleadingly.

"I'll take care of it, Ma'am." The officer moved off and started to make some phone calls while Emma and Isaiah waited for someone to come and tell them about Steve.

DM

Mark sat and rubbed his eyes. They were tired and burning from too little sleep and too much staring at the map laid out in front of him on the desk. He was getting so frustrated. Usually he could figure things out on any given case. Now though, when his son needed him the most, all he could see were dots and dashes that represented roads and landmarks. Suddenly, the phone rang and snapped him out of his musing.

"Mark Sloan." He realized that he probably sounded a little too anxious when he answered.

"Mark, this is Jim Newman. I have word on Steve. He's alive but he's been hurt. I'm not sure how bad because the officer that called didn't really know anything yet. He's been taken to Northridge and one of my men should be arriving in just a minute to pick you up. I'm leaving now and I'll meet you there . Are you ok?" Newman knew he had talked fast but he wanted to tell the doctor everything he could quickly before he headed over to the hospital.

Mark sat in complete silence while the patrolman drove him to the hospital where his son had been taken. So many things kept running through his mind. Could he have been wrong about the old couple? Had his son been in danger all this time and he didn't know it? He was feeling guilty because he hadn't been able to find his son before now.

Half way to the hospital Mark realized that he needed to call Jesse and let him know that Steve was being treated at Northridge. By the time he had gotten a hold of his friend and explained the situation to him, they were pulling up in front of the hospital. Mark quickly exited the car and hurried through the doors in hopes of finding the familiar face of Steve's Captain. Mark, running along the hallway, turned a corner and nearly collided into the object of his search. Newman reached out with both hands to steady the concerned father before he was knocked to the floor.

"Have you seen or heard about Steve yet?" Mark searched Newman's face for any sign of what the news might be.

"He's in surgery. He took a bullet in the upper right shoulder. The wound itself wasn't serious but he lost an awful lot of blood. The nurse said that the doctor would be right out as soon as they were finished with him. All we can do for now is wait. I'm going to make a call to the chief. I think you should talk with that couple over there. They brought Steve in and they will be able to tell you what happened." Newman stopped the tired father as he walked towards the old couple. "Mark, you should know that they are the ones who took him from the bank."

Turning towards the Tanners, Mark slowly walked over and pulled a chair up in front of them so that he could talk with them. They looked up as he sat down and he could see tears on the woman's face and genuine concern in the eyes of the gentleman.

"I'm Mark Sloan. Steve is my son. Can you tell me what happened?" Mark asked.

"Steve and I had gone out to the back of the house. I cain't say that we exactly heard anythin' but we both had a feelin' that somethin' just wasn't right. Your boy went to the barn and I went to the wooded part back behind our place. Out of nowhere a shot was fired and when I spun around I saw your boy crumblin' to the ground. I went to him as quick as I could and carried him back to the house. I didn't see or hear nobody. We waited for a few minutes to see if there was goin' to be any more shootin'. I didn't hear none so I got the car and me and Emma got him here as fast as we could. I'm so sorry, Doctor Sloan. If'n' we hadn't taken him he wouldn't have got hurt. It's all our fault." Isaiah hung his head again ashamed of what their actions had caused.

Emma handed the bag she had been holding to Mark. "The nurse brought this out earlier and said it was his personal things that was on him when we brought him in. I found your number in there and I told that officer over there to call you. I'm so sorry. We never wanted anythin' to happen to your son." Tears once again began to fall down her face. Mark could tell that her heart was breaking.

No one said a word for several minutes when suddenly Emma looked up at Mark and smiled. "When that nurse brought me his things she handed me the bag and said these belonged to my son." Smiling sweetly at Mark she continued softly. "She thought he was my child. For a little while I pretended he was." She grew quiet once again and the tears continued to fall down her face.

Mark reached out to touch her hand wanting to give her a little comfort. When his fingers grasped at her wrist he realized that the couple had been handcuffed together. He looked at them puzzled.

"They aim to charge us for kidnappin' your son and holdin' up that bank. We did wrong so it's only right that we should pay for it. We just asked that they let us stay until we hear about Steve. That man on the phone over there said we could. He seems pretty nice. Is he friends of y'all's?" Isaiah asked.

"He's Steve's boss. He comes off gruff sometimes, but yes, he is a nice man." Mark looked towards Newman as he settled in to wait for word on his son.

About two hours later, a very weary looking doctor made his way towards the little group who were gathered in the corner of the waiting room. As he approached, all four people stood up and waited for the news. He smiled at them hoping that it would help to reassure them of what he was about to say.

"Which one of you is Dr. Sloan?"

"I am. I'm Steve's father. How is he?" Mark stepped up and took the hand that the other doctor had extended to him.

"I'm Dr. Drayer. Steve is doing fine. He's in intensive care at the moment but I feel he'll be out of there in a day or so. The bullet went in pretty deep, and there was a lot of muscle damage. With some physical therapy that should be fine. I'm concerned though about the nerve damage to that shoulder and arm. I don't think it will be a problem but at this time I can't say. He lost a lot of blood. I mean a lot. We had to give him two units just to stabilize him.

"He's got a breathing tube. He's just too weak from the loss of blood right now to breathe on his own. His vital signs are stable and seem to be getting stronger. He's in excellent physical shape. His condition is considered stable but guarded. As you know Dr. Sloan, the next 24 hours are important. I don't have to tell you what could happen.

"We are concerned about infection but with the antibiotics we might have that nipped before it gets a good hold on him. He is running a low-grade fever but that isn't all that uncommon, as you know. Right now, our main concern is the blood loss. If you would like to see him he's around the corner and to your right. I'll check in on him later." Mark reached out and shook the doctor's hand thanking him for all that he had done for his son.

Without hesitation and not waiting for the others, Mark made his way towards where his son was being watched closely.

He took a deep breath and willed himself to stay steady. He knew what to expect since he had seen it many times before with other patients. Slowly and quietly he made his way into the room of glass.

Monitors were set up all around the bed attached someway or another to his son. He checked the read outs on several of them, grateful for what they showed.

He stood and looked down on Steve for several minutes before he finally reached out and very tenderly touched his hand. Surprised at how warm it was, he ventured out more and grasped the slender fingers and held on afraid that if he let go alarms would begin to go off.

Mark had no idea how long he had been standing beside the bed watching his son, taking a breath only when the machine pumped air into Steve's lungs. Lots of memories coming to the surface, some good bringing a smile to his lips. Some not so good, sending a shiver down his spine. He felt a small hand on his back. Startled he turned to find Emma and Isaiah standing behind him.

"We was wonderin' if we could see him for a second before they take us to the jail house. I just need to see for myself that he is goin' to be ok," Emma quietly asked.

"Yes, of course you may see him." Mark moved off to the side so that the couple could get a little closer to his son.

Mark watched as they looked at all of the equipment that surrounded the bed. He could tell that both of them were a little taken aback and very frightened for Steve by all of the wires and tubes that were attached to him. Slowly, Mark began to explain a few of the machines and their functions in hopes of easing their fears.

"This is a breathing tube that goes down his throat and into his lungs. His body is too weak at the moment to breathe on his own so this helps. These are the leads that go to the heart monitor. It helps us keep a check on how well his heart is doing. If a problem arises, it will sound off an alarm and the doctors and nurses can be here to help him quickly. This is an IV to replenish the fluids in his body. Medications can also be administered through the IV." Mark went over a couple of other things in hopes that with some understanding they might feel a little better.

Before they were about to leave Mark noticed that both Emma and Isaiah had reached out tentatively to touch Steve's hand. They both hesitated afraid of causing him more hurt.

"It's ok, he won't break; we think patients can feel when a person touches them, and it will help him to know that someone is here." Mark smiled at them encouraging the contact.

Isaiah put his hand on Steve's shoulder and quietly spoke. "I'm sorry, Boy, about the way I treated you the other day. I just want you to know that I'm real proud of the way you worked. I plum wore myself out tryin' to out do you. I'm sorry too about making you remember all that bad stuff that happened to you and Robbie over there durin' that war." He stopped then and moved over a little so that Emma could get closer.

"You be a sweet boy and you mind what your daddy says. You're a good child and I love you like you was my own. Now I'm goin' to keep in touch with your folks and if I hear that you wasn't bein' good I'm goin' to lay into you with that breadboard again." She reached up and tenderly kissed Steve on his cheek.

The older couple stepped away from the bed, and as they turned to leave the room, Isaiah laid a hand on Mark's arm and said, "I know we ain't got no right to ask this of you, but could you please let us know how he is doin' from time to time? I guess we got more attached to him than we planned. I reckon we won't be too hard to find. They should be taken' us to jail and we'll probably be there for a spell." With that, the couple left and walked towards Captain Newman ready to face what ever the future had in store for them.

Mark began his vigil by his son's side like he had so many times before. During the night, Steve's vital signs steadily improved, however, he never regained consciousness. Mark was only mildly concerned, as he knew that Steve had a tendency to stay under longer than most people. He did however wish that his son would soon open his eyes and at least be aware that his father was with him.

The next morning Mark was startled awake by a hand on his shoulder. He jumped in surprise and looked up to see two familiar faces looking down on him smiling yet concerned.

"How is he this morning?" Amanda asked.

"Seems to be doing fine. His vital signs are much stronger and there so far has been no sign of any infection or any other complications. He still hasn't come around though." Mark seemed a little concerned over the last part he had just relayed.

"Yeah, but you know how he is. He really goes down for the count with the anesthetic. He could be out for another couple of hours yet. Everything looks good though." Jesse watched the monitors taking in the readings.

"I bet you've not moved from this spot all night, have you?" Amanda admonished her old friend.

"Well, I did leave long enough to stretch my legs and get a cup of coffee a couple of times while they were in here checking on him. I want to be here when he does finally wake up. I'm sure he's got a lot of questions," Mark said.

"What happen to the Tanners? Were they arrested?" Jesse asked.

"I really don't know yet. I've been here all night. They left with Captain Newman and I just haven't called to check on them. I really would like to know though. I wonder if I could get a couple of my friends to check into that for me?" Mark smiled at the two young doctors standing before him.

"I might be able to find out a thing or two. I do have connections you know." Amanda winked at Mark and at the same time reached for Jesse saying. "Come on, Boy Wonder. We have an errand to run."

For the next three hours, Mark sat and watched his son sleep. In his mind all he could think of was how badly he wished Steve would open his eyes. How many times had he sat here just like this? You would think that he would be use to it by now. Who was he kidding? If it's your child you never get use to it. If anything it gets harder.

DM

It was really only a small movement that drew his attention towards the bed. He watched for several minutes waiting. Nothing. Maybe he had just imagined it. He continued to watch hoping that his son would wake up. Thenhe saw it again. Steve moved his fingers, Mark leaned down and began to whisper in his son's ear.

"Steve. Open your eyes for me, Son. I need for you to wake up." Mark watched and waited for what seemed like an eternity.

There it was again, a small movement from Steve's hand. Placing his own hand on top of his son's, Mark began a soothing monologue in hopes of stemming any sudden panic that might well up inside of him once he became fully awake.

"There's a tube in your throat. It's to help you breath and you won't be able to talk until we take it out. I want you to relax for me. I'm right here. Can you open your eyes for me, Son?"

The effort hurt and it was taking a toll on him but Steve battled with his eye lids until finally he was able to open them up and the first thing he saw was his father's own twinkling blue eyes smiling down at him. He could hear the machines in the background but nothing seemed to register in his mind. Nothing else mattered to him. Why he was here or how he got here, didn't concern him. All that was importan to Steve was that his dad was with him and he would be ok. His dad would take care of him.

"You're going to be ok now, Son. I'm here and I'm goingtake care of you." Mark continued to talk to his son while gently stroking Steve's forehead in a soothing manner. The words floated comfortably by him because now his dad was there right next to him and he could see him. He could feel him touching his face. He would be safe now. Steve slightly turned his head so that it rested in his father's hand. He closed his eyes and went to sleep. This time he was able to dream. He had come out of the nightmare.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"So, what did you find out?" Mark asked as he led his two friends out into the hall of the ICU.

"They have been booked on assaulting a police officer and kidnapping. Two counts of armed robbery. And there is a charge pending against Isaiah for shooting Steve." Jesse stood back and waited for Mark's reaction to the last part.

"What?" Mark almost forgot to keep his voice low as Jesse reported the latest information. "You have got to be kidding me. There is no way those people hurt Steve."

"Calm down, Mark. The DA is having some problems with that himself. That's why it's pending. There are no fingerprints on the gun and the Tanners have no record of violence or anything else before the bank incident. They don't even have a record of a traffic citation. In fact, Burnside's trying to see what he can do about getting them bailed out until this whole mess is cleared up. He wants to talk to Steve before he actually gets serious about the assault charges and the attempted murder." Amanda had reached out and placed her hand on Mark's arm.

"Apparently, there seems to be an investigation underway, as we speak, into land fraud concerning the Tanner's property. You and Jesse wouldn't know anything about that now, would you?" Amanda folded her arms across her chest and cocked an eyebrow as she observed both Mark and Jesse.

"Uh, well, maybe we might know something about that. Seems like we heard there could be some kind of investigation going on. " Jesse did his best to look innocent but unfortunately he wasn't convincing anyone.

"I was only gone for one weekend. I come back and find out that Steve was kidnapped from the bank and is now in the hospital. It seems you two are in the middle of some big investigation concerning Clay Ashton, of all people. Can I not leave you three alone for just a couple of days without one of you getting into trouble? Start from the beginning and don't you leave out one single word or detail." It looked like Amanda was settling in for the whole story.

For the next hour, the three friends sat and discussed everything that had happened and what they had been able to find out so far.

"If Burnside is having problems with some of the charges he might be willing to settle on the bail concerning the robbery and kidnapping. I wish I knew a couple of friends who would go and take care of that for me." Mark smiled and waited for the two before him to volunteer.

"I guess we could do that for you. It does seem like a shame for them to spend any time in jail. It appears to me they are just as much a victim as Steve is. I hate the way money can be used to manipulate peoples' lives." Amanda spoke in that quiet way of hers.

A few details were discussed and finalized between the three and it was agreed Mark would pay the bail once it was finally set. With everything worked out, Mark made his way back to his son and the two young doctors left to see what could be done about getting Emma and Isaiah out of jail.

About one that afternoon Newman called to check on Steve and let Mark know that the courts had taken pity on the old couple and they could be released if someone would take responsibility for them. They couldn't leave the city, however, until the whole thing was cleared up. It seemed that formal charges would not be pressed until Burnside had a chance to meet with Lieutenant Sloan.

After talking to the DA, it was decided that the Tanners would be Mark's responsibility and would stay at the beach house. Amanda purchased some clothes and other personal items so the guests could be comfortable. Once they had showered and changed into clean clothes, they asked to go back to the hospital. Concerned about how much they had been through in such a short length of time, Amanda managed to convince them the best thing at the moment would be to eat something hot and get a good night's rest. She promised Mark she would make arrangements for the boys to sleep over at her mom's while she stayed with the Tanners.

Back at the hospital Mark remained close to his son not wanting to be very far away when he woke up again. Steve had awakened only once briefly since the first time he had come round and was still on the ventilator. His vitals however, were improved enough to indicated that he could possibly breathe on his own and would soon be removed from the machine. Mark was relieved but had some apprehension about actually pulling the tubing from Steve's throat knowing that this part was always traumatic for his son.

It seemed like hours before Steve finally woke up. When he did open his eyes, it wasn't long before he became very agitated. Not knowing what was causing the restless behavior in his son, Mark was more than a little concerned when Steve refused to settle down. After a lot of talking and promises, the doctor and his father were able to get him to relax. Steve's inability to communicate his concerns for his new friends left him feeling frustrated and helpless. He was more emotional than usual and tears escaped and rolled down his face before he could stop them. Mark reached out and took his son's hand to let him know that he was there for support.

The doctor waited until he was sure that Steve had calmed down enough to listen to him while he explained about removing him from the ventilator. Nodding his head that he was ready, the Lieutenant braced himself for the part that he dreaded most. As expected a coughing spell followed causing him to gasp with the pain from his shoulder wound. After catching his breath and impatiently waiting for a few ice chips to melt on his tongue, the first thing he did was begin to interrogate his father about Isaiah and Emma. Mark tried to assure him that they were fine and resting at the beach house but the medication that was being pumped into him seemed to be blocking his ability to reason. Once again, he began to struggle trying to fill his need to help his new friends. It took both Mark and the doctor to keep him in bed. The pain he was experiencing didn't even seem to register with him as all he could focus on was to make sure the Tanners were safe. Someone had shot at him and he was afraid that who ever had tried to kill him would target Isaiah and Emma next. He couldn't quite make his father understand his concerns and all his drugged mind could process was he needed to get to them before they became the next victims.

"I need to know where they are, Dad." Steve once again tried to sit up and push himself out of the bed, which sent the alarms on the machines, attached to him, off as they responded to his stubbornness.

Pushing him back down on the bed, and becoming rather agitated with his son himself, Mark tried to explain about his friends. "Steve, stop it. Lay down and I'll tell you. They are at the beach house as we speak resting and doing as I asked them to. Something I wish just once you would do! I'll have you in restraints if you don't lie down and be still. You can't just get up and waltz out of here after being shot and nearly bleeding to death. You're causing yourself more harm."

Too weak and too exhausted to do anything else, Steve finally gave up his fight to get up and go to the Tanners. "Dad, they didn't do anything wrong. You've got to be sure that they're going to be all right. Please, Dad. Don't let anyone hurt them. It's important to me."

Mark looked down on his son and his heart ached for the concern that Steve had for the older couple. He smoothed the hair back from his face and gently assured him. "I know it is, Son. Please stop worrying. They're at home with Amanda under my care until we get this all straightened out. The DA is holding off on the assault and attempted murder charges against them until he gets to talk to you. I'll see how you are doing in the morning. If I think you're up to it I'll have them come and take your statement. But you have to promise me you won't pull another stunt like this again. I meant what I said, Steve, I'll have them put you in restraints if you try to get out of this bed again. You do understand me now, don't you?"

Steve searched his father's face. It wasn't that he doubted his word but he wanted to see if he could see any hidden concerns. Finally, after he was sure that Mark wasn't holding anything back he answered. "I promise, Dad. I won't try to get up again. But please don't let anything happen to them. They haven't done anything wrong."

It seemed rather odd to Mark that Steve would be so upset and concerned about the Tanners. He had assured him several times that they were doing fine and resting at the beach house. Still Steve had seemed anxious to get to them. He wondered if there was something else his son was trying to convey to him but unable to get across.

He knew that the medications would have him a little disoriented and possibly unable to understand what his father had been trying to tell him. It nagged at his subconscious though, and after pondering on it, he made a quick phone call to the precinct and talked to the desk sergeant in charge telling him of his concerns. After a brief conversation, it was agreed that a patrol car would make periodic checks of the house throughout the night. Relieved and assured that he had done everything he could at this time, Mark settled back to wait out the rest of a hopefully peaceful night. Unfortunately this was not to be the case.

Dr. Drayer came in a couple of times and was a little surprised and frustrated at the fact that his patient seemed determined to cause his nurses a busy night by showing how difficult he could be. Time after time he would set off an alarm to one of the machines that kept his vital signs monitored with hisrestless activity.

It seemed as if Steve was going to be unable to sleep for any length of time. Just when Mark thought he was settled again, he would wake up anxious and afraid for the older couple. On these occasions, he insisted that his dad call the house to check on them. Finally, Mark gently but firmly explained to his restless child that calling at this time of the night would disturb them from the rest they needed. Even after Steve was told about the patrol car checking the house from time to time he still couldn't seem to relax enough to get the rest he also needed. Frustrated and at his wits end, Mark finally requested a heavy sedative to put his son out for the rest of the night. He hated to do it but Steve had really left him no other choice. His continued agitated state was doing him more harm than good.

Steve tried to fight the drug that was injected into his IV but found that he was no match for the powerful medication coursing through his veins. Between the exhaustion and the sedative, he was soon asleep much to the relief of his father. After battling with Steve for the last few hours Mark returned to his chair and finally found himself relaxing enough to catch a nap as well. His last thoughts were of how a simple trip to the bank had turned into a complicated journey that only Steve could manage to embark on.

Steve slept late into the following morning not even stirring when the nurses came in to attend to his needs. His vital signs were well within normal range and his color had improved tremendously.

Mark had spoken with his doctor and made the request to have his son moved to Community General. Dr. Drayer agreed that it would be a good idea to have him moved to more familiar surroundings. He also appreciated the fact that he would be in a place where the staff were use to dealing with his stubborn behavior. The Lieutenant had already proven to be a difficult patient to handle while weak and under the influence of heavy pain medication. He could only imagine what he would be like once he had begun to recover and get his strength back.

By lunch, Steve had been transferred to a room at Community General. Once he had been settled into bed and everything set up he started in again about his friends.

"I need to talk with them, Dad. I need to know for myself that they are ok." Steve was adamant about his desire to find out for himself that Isaiah and Emma were indeed ok.

"What? Now you don't even trust me? Do you think I would lie to you, Steve?" Mark couldn't hide the irritation in his voice. He was tired and not quite ready to start the battle again with his son over the welfare of the couple who had kidnapped him. He knew he was being harsh but the last several days of worrying and fretting over where his son was being held were beginning to take a toll on him and he was not in the mood to appease his frustrating offspring at the moment.

"What I want from you, Young Man, is to just settle down and try to take a nap. IF you promise to stay in bed without trying to get up, I won't have you restrained. I'm going to go to the beach house and get cleaned up. When I come back, I'll bring the Tanners with me. You had better not give the nurses any trouble while I'm gone either."

It had been a long while since Steve had seen his father so angry with him. For the first time since he had awakened he really looked at his father and realized just how exhausted he appeared. Guilt washed over him and Mark must have noticed the change because the sudden expression of alarm thatappeared on his facewas almost his undoing.

"Steve, what's wrong?" He reached out to take his son's hand fearing that he was experiencing some sort of pain or complication from his wound or even the transfer.

"I'm fine, Dad. I just realized that you must have been going through hell. All this time I have been so worried about the Tanners and not once did I even consider what all of this has done to you. I'm so sorry. I …" Steve faltered as the lump in his throat began to threaten an emotional outburst that he didn't want to display.

Grasping his father's hand firmly, he looked up, and with the tears that were threatening to escape still filling his eyes, he barely whispered again the only thing he could. "I'm so sorry, Dad."

Mark reached over and placing his other hand on top of his son's he gave it a little squeeze. Smiling, he gently removed himself from his son's grip and leaned over so that he was only a few inches from Steve's face.

"I know that you have been worried about Isaiah and Emma. I understand that protective nature of yours. I'm going to take care of them. I promise. You just need to rest so that you will have the strength to take over that job again soon. Now I'm going to get cleaned up and I'll be back with your friends in about an hour or two ok?"

"No, Dad. You don't bring them back in an hour or two. You all stay home for the remainder of the day. You need to rest as well. I'll be fine and if they need you they'll call. I want you to get some sleep." Seeing that his father was about to protest Steve spoke up with a glint in his eye.

"I'll make you a deal. You stay home and get the sleep that you need, and I promise to be on my best behavior. I won't even argue with the nurses. Scouts honor." Steve held up his hand signifying the scout symbol with his fingers.

As he smiled back at his son, Mark replied, "Yeah, well, that would probably mean more if you had actually been a scout. I'll call you later this afternoon. I'm sure Jesse will be here in a few minutes. He got held up in the ER. Just remember your promise, Boy Scout." Chuckling Mark turned and left.

As he made his way to the elevator he couldn't help but hope that he would be able to convince the Tanners that it would be better for them and Steve if they could wait until the next morning to visit. Oh well, what was one more battle?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

When Steve opened his eyes he was slightly confused. He didn't actually remember going to sleep but, from the dim light that was showing around the window blinds in his room, he guessed it was early evening and apparently he had slept for several hours.

"Nice to see you finally wake up, Sleeping Beauty. I was beginning to think that you might sleep through until morning." The voice that came from the other side of the room startled him and the sudden movement made him hiss with the agony that it caused.

"I might not have slept this long if you had come up and kept me company like Dad said you were going to." Steve lay still trying to decide the best course of action to shift his position with the least amount of pain.

"I got caught up in the ER. About the time I finished with the victims from the first major pile up another batch came in. Besides I've been sitting here listening to you snore for the last two hours. That's entertainment at its finest" Jesse stood and walked over to the bed and snapped on the lamp over his patient's head.

Blinking from the sudden illumination, Steve instinctively reached up to shade his eyes from the offending brightness. "Did you have to turn that on? I was not snoring."

"Yeah, well tell that to the nurses who were trying to find the source of all that snorting and sputtering. I think I heard a reference about a heard of pigs. I could have been wrong. It was a bit noisy in here. Remind me to check out your adenoids later. Move your hand so I can check your pupils." Jesse reached up to lower his patient's arm so that he could further irritate him with his little pin light.

"Does your head hurt any at all?" Jesse watched Steve's pupils noting that they were a little slow reacting to the stimulation.

"When you shine that spotlight into my eyes it does. Would you just put that thing away? When can I get out of here?" Steve tried to turn his head, shutting his eyes tight as the beam caused little spots to dance in front of them.

"You just got here today. What's your hurry? You haven't even had your first meal yet." Jesse walked to the other side of the bed and began to lower the rails.

"I've got to get home. Dad said that he took the Tanners there and I need to be close. Someone is trying to kill them." Steve watched Jesse warily wondering what he was going to do next.

"Well, the sooner we get you on your feet the faster you can get home. Now, we're going to just sit you up on the side of the bed for a minute. Let me do all the work though." Jesse raised the head of Steve's bed and then, taking the covers away, he took a hold of his legs and gently slid him around until he was sitting up facing him.

Steve sucked in his breath as the movement pulled at his shoulder sending a dull throbbing across his whole upper body. He managed to hold in the colorful remarks that he so badly wanted to express his discomfort with, and allowed Jesse to support him as he dangled his legs over the side of the bed. Sweat popped out on his face and breathing became an art form at that moment. He should have known what to expect. It wasn't like he hadn't been at this point before.

"How are you doing so far?" Jesse searched his friend's face for the truth but expected to hear those famous words.

Steve didn't disappoint. "I'm fine." Unable to say anything else without giving away the fact that he was anything but fine he chose to concentrate further on breathing without hyperventilating.

"I can see it now. On your headstone, it's going to say 'Here lies Steve Sloan. But he's fine.' Maybe you should try to come up with something more original. That's sort of lost its sincerity. I know your dad would like to hear a different answer for a change." Jesse eyed his friend for a moment before letting go to see if he could balance on his own.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean. If I say I'm fine then I'm fine." This might have been more convincing if he hadn't started to lean forward once Jesse let go of him.

"It wouldn't be like the world stopped if you just admitted that you might not feel so hot at the moment. You are entitled to feel like you just got shot. In fact, according to your diagnosis, you did get shot. With a big gun I might add." Jesse reached out to steady Steve before he fell completely over on his face.

"Help me get up. Do you know where my clothes are? Have you talked to Dad in the last couple of hours?" Steve tried to maneuver himself off the bed and missed the amused smile that suddenly spread over Jesse's face.

"No way. No, I don't, and yes, I have. Now I think it's time you laid back down. You don't want to overdo it." Jesse began the process of easing his patient back into the bed. Steve had other plans however.

"I've got to get out of here. Didn't you hear me? I think Isaiah and Emma are in danger." Steve wanted to struggle but was unable to do anything more than just allow Jesse to tuck him back into the bed.

As Jesse raised the side rails, he placed a comforting hand on his friend's arm. "You need to settle down. I've talked to your dad. Everything is fine. They are fine. There is a patrol car cruising by your house every half-hour or so. Now relax. They're serving meatloaf for supper tonight."

"Really? What time is it?" This seemed to distract him for a few moments.

"It's about fifteen minutes before they pass out trays. By the way, have you seen that new nurse that started last week?" Jesse jiggled his eyebrows breaking out into a grin that went from ear to ear.

"I guess not. After all, I've been here less than a day and most of that I spent examining the back of my eyelids. I take it from that goofy look on your face she's cute." Steve grinned back at Jesse.

"Red hair and green eyes. Just my type."

"Seems to me that any girl is just your type. Is she on duty tonight?" Steve had a conspiratorial look in his eyes.

Jesse's face suddenly changed to one of extreme caution. "Yeah… Why?"

"Well, I might need some help with my dinner this evening. You know how hard it is to eat with just one good arm." The look he gave Jesse was one of pure innocence.

"Yeah, right. That meatloaf can be pretty tough to cut sometimes. You just let me help you with your meal. Besides she's not your type. The last time I looked she hadn't tried to kill anyone yet." Jesse went about placing the bedside table up closer and adjusting Steve's pillows so he could eat in comfort once the meal was delivered.

"I just want you to remember that I'm keeping a mental list of all the things I plan to get you back for once I'm fit and able to. In the last half-hour, you've managed to accumulate quite a lot. So watch it!" He glared at his short blond friend in hopes of intimidating him enough to help him get to the beach house.

"I'm not worried. You're going to be in physical therapy with that shoulder and arm for quite a while. That look isn't going to get you home tonight either. Besides, I'm more afraid of your dad than you. I show up with you in tow and I'll be written out of his will." Jesse continued to fuss around the room.

"You may be more afraid of Dad than me, but I wonder if you just might be even more afraid of Amanda." Steve looked rather pleased at the expression that suddenly came across his little friend's face.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, what that is supposed to mean is I wonder what she will do once she finds out who accidentally deleted an entire night's work when he tried to open up his email on her computer." Smug just didn't quite do justice to the look that Steve was wearing at that moment.

"You wouldn't dare. I happen to know for a fact that you are the one who taught CJ and Dion that little move they were practicing when the vase her mother gave her for her birthday got destroyed." Jesse was determined to keep the upper hand. It looked as if he might still have it.

Just then, one of the older nurses breezed in with a tray and a smile that was clearly meant for her patient. She was one of the few nurses who could actually handle Steve when he didn't want to be in the hospital. She had the build of a linebacker with gray hair that would resist a hurricane as it was plastered down with a gallon of hairspray. She wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses that she could intimidate you with if she chose to by peering at you over the tops. Even with all of this she still managed to give the appearance of being pleasant as long as you did as she instructed. "Here we are, Lieutenant. I've got a nice tray full of meatloaf and hot yummy mashed potatoes just for you. I also made sure that you got an extra helping of banana pudding. I remembered from the last time you were here how much you loved it. Now here let me help with your napkin."

Jesse watched in amusement as the nurse fussed around her patient while he tried to fend her off with his good arm. Between plumping his pillows, straightening his sheets, and tucking his napkin in under his chin, Steve never had a chance. "Well, since it looks like you are in very good hands, I'll just go and check on a couple of my patients while you are eating and come back later."

Looking rather desperate, Steve called after him. "I thought you said **you** were going to help me with my dinner. Jesse. Come back here. Jesseeee."

Jesse just smiled as he walked out the door. He knew he would pay later but this was just too good to let go by. He went to the nurses' station and called the beach house to check up on everybody. His conversation with Amanda was brief but satisfying as she reported that Mark was in bed and sleeping soundly after having eaten a nice hot dinner that Emma had prepared.

After he hung up the phone, he went to make arrangements to have a cot set up in Steve's room. It wasn't that he was afraid that anything would happen to his friend. It was obvious that the _Lieutenant _was well on his way to recovery. The earlier conversation he had with Mark, however, made him realize that he needed to be close by if Steve chose to become unreasonable during the night with his concern for the Tanners.

He had to admit that watching the confrontation between the nurses and their most difficult of patients was often amusing. The fact that Steve's father was Chief of Internal Medicine didn't afford him any slack when it came to the tantrums that often ensued while he was forced to surrender to the confines of a hospital room. His reputation was well known and it often put his caregivers on the defense from the start.

Jesse decided his best course of action would be to wait until Steve was well on his way to sleep before he ventured back into the room. Paperwork with his name on it was piled up at the nurses' desk so he settled down to tackle that while waiting till the coast was clear.

DM

Mark opened his eyes and realized that it was well up into the morning. His fuzzy brain couldn't quite comprehend what it was that had woken him up. He laid for a minute listening. He didn't seem to hear anything out of the ordinary. Just the usual beach noises and the surf crashing against the shore. He lay still enjoying the sounds that he had come to associate with home. Then he heard it again. It was the sound of raised voices that had awakened him. He listened carefully trying to understand what was being said. Finally, he just gave up and crawled from the comfort of his bed and fumbled for his slippers and robe.

"You can't leave here without someone going with you. Mark will be up soon and I'm sure he will be more than glad to take you to the hospital to see Steve." Amanda was desperately trying to appease the two older people who seemed determined to be on their way.

As Mark entered the kitchen, he soon realized that he had walked into a small war. Both Emma and Isaiah were standing in front of a very determined Amanda trying to convince her that they were not getting any younger waiting on the good doctor to finally wake up.

"I ain't never seen how people could sleep away the day this way. Me and Emma here has been up since the sun rose. I ain't a patient man, Missy. Now we are goin' to the hospital to see that boy with or without his daddy."

Mark could see it was going to be a battle of wills so he immediately stepped in to defuse the situation.

"I'm sorry that I slept so long. Just let me take a quick shower and change and we will be on our way. It won't take but a second."

"No, Dr. Sloan. You need to eat some breakfast first. Now you sit down while I fix you some eggs. The bacon is already done and the biscuits are warmin' in the oven. Here, Isaiah, you pour him some coffee now." For the next ten minutes, Emma fussed around fixing Mark one of the most delicious meals he had ever eaten. He was especially impressed with the biscuits.

He tried to make quick work of the meal and was on his way to the bedroom to shower and change when the phone rang. He decided to let Amanda answer it as he hurried to get ready to leave for the hospital.

When he came from the bedroom refreshed from a shower and wearing clean clothes he could tell by the look on her face that obviously the phone call had not been all that good.

"What's wrong?" A cold fear grabbed at his heart. He was afraid it was about Steve.

"That was Captain Newman. He just called to say that Edward Moss from the bank has disappeared. They can't seem to find the man anywhere." Amanda watched her friend trying to read his reaction.

"I didn't know they were looking for him. Do you know why?" Mark could guess but he wanted confirmation.

"Well, apparently they were going to question him about the land deal on Mr. and Mrs. Tanner's property. The captain said that there were some discrepancies and they wanted to ask him about them. He's just vanished."

Mark considered what he had just heard for a second and then led the little band out to the car. He took the Tanners with him and Amanda drove herself so that she could stop in and check on her boys before heading to the hospital.

Whatever had happened to Moss he was sure that the developer was behind it. He just hoped that when they found the bank president he would still be alive and able to tell them what he knew about Ashton's interest in the land and anything else he might have information on.

A/N: I am very sorry that it took me so long to post this chapter. I'm afraid I caught a bug and it took me a while to get over it. I want to once again thank you for the encouraging reviews and your faithfulness in reading my story.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The look of the two people standing at the nurse's desk was something that Mark had seen before. The fact that they were both staring at the door to his son's room only confirmed his worst fears. Then it came. A loud yelp was followed by some colorful verbs and even more colorful adjectives. "Who is he giving a hard time to now?" Mark clearly was frustrated by what he knew his son was capable of when he didn't get his own way.

"It's ok. He's not the one who's dishing it out this time. Mrs. Grant is in there with him. He's been in hell ever since." Jesse seemed quite unconcerned and highly amused at the situation.

Mark gave him a questioning glance. "Why is she in there? Did you contact her?"

"No. Beulah the charge nurse on the night shift did. She was furious with him. He kept buzzing up to the desk insisting that she call the house to check on you guys. I think she was pretty tired of him after about two AM. From what I heard out of the other nurses going off duty he's lucky they didn't restrain and gag him. Apparently he even tried to climb out of bed once. You would think eventually he'd learn." Jesse kept watching the door as if expecting Mrs. Grant to hurl her patient through it at any moment.

"Uh, Jesse. I thought you were going to sleep in there on a cot? You were supposed to help keep this from happening." Mark gave his friend one of those looks that fathers give while interrogating an errant child.

"Well…, uh I was waiting until he went to sleep and I worked on some charts and stuff and then it was so late. I went to sleep in there but I guess I just slept through the whole thing. I'm sorry. I was really tired." Not getting any sympathy from Mark, Jesse stalled out with, "I was up for hours."

The other observer who had been standing by listening to the exchange decided to wade in at this point.

"I did talk to the other nurses. Apparently, Steve seemed agitated and concerned about you and your guests. It was a hectic night and we didn't have the time to humor him as we usually try to do. Beulah decided to just call Mrs. Grant and let her deal with him. She's been here for almost an hour now. That's been going on ever since she arrived." Nancy Rush indicated the room with her head as another loud confrontation erupted from behind the closed door.

Just then, Mrs. Grant emerged looking as if she had come from a tea party. Unruffled and neat in her crisp white uniform she walked up to the desk and informed the small audience that her patient was now ready to receive visitors. With that she excused herself to the break room to sit and enjoy a nice cup of hot tea.

Mark stared at the room for a second not sure if he wanted to go in or not. He knew from past experience that his son was going to be in a foul mood and demanding to be allowed to go home without Mrs.Grant in tow. As he stood outside the door he tried to think of something to say to his fractious son that would convince him he wasn't ready to be dismissed. A small hand touched his arm and he turned his head to see Emma looking at him with a touch of concern on her face.

"Dr. Sloan, I can't believe that he is being as bad as you all say. He was a perfect angel the whole time he was stayin' with us."

At that point, Isaiah gave a little snort and then chuckled. It wasn't quite the way he remembered the short visit. He couldn't help but grin knowing that the strong willed young man had probably met his match with the no nonsense nurse that had just emerged from his room.

Mark smiled back at the old couple saying, "Steve has never been any good at being all that cooperative when he is in the hospital. He feels we are just being over protective and unreasonable about his taking it easy. I'm afraid Jesse nor I have ever convinced him that he needs to give his body time to heal from his injuries."

Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the door and put on his best smile. He eased it open and cheerfully greeted his son. "Good morning, Steve. I've brought you some visitors."

Quickly he moved inside and over so that Isaiah and Emma could follow in behind him. His hopes of their presence preventing any argument that might be forthcoming were dashed when, just as predicted, Steve started in with his desire to go home and leave his personal drill sergeant behind.

After a couple of minutes listening to Steve fuss and Mark trying to reason with him, Isaiah stepped up and in a loud voice simply said two words. "That's enough."

Everyone just stopped and stared at Isaiah with mouths open in mid argument. "Your daddy told you no. I reckon he'd know what's best fer ya'. All that carryin' on ain't doin' you no good. Now hush up and show some respect."

Steve was so shocked at the outburst that all he could do was sit and gape. Emma quietly leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek and began to question him about how he was feeling.

Steve managed to answer all their questions and get a few in of his own. With caution, he approached the subject again about when he might be able to go back to the beach house.

"If I promise to do everything you tell me will you please let me come home?" Steve hoped that his father would see how important it was to him to be there in order to keep an eye on his new friends.

"Steve, I just don't think you are ready for that. You haven't even been out in the hall to walk yet. I know you are anxious aboutyour friends, but they're fine and everything will be ok." Mark was almost pleading when he saw the expression on his son's face turn to frustration.

"I don't know why you're so worried about us. Seems to me the one we should be worryin' about is you. After all that big hole is in your shoulder not mine." Isaiah folded his arms across his chest and stared at Steve from the foot of his bed.

"What if they were aiming at you and hit me by mistake? They could be after you and Emma next. At least if I were there I could watch and maybe keep you safe." Steve knew he was loosing his battle to go home, but he was just stubborn enough to give it one last effort.

"I don't think they were aiming at Isaiah, Steve." Mark hadn't had a chance to explain about the gun that the police had found at their cabin.

Recognizing that look his father got when he was going to make his own conclusion about the situation Steve gave his full attention to Mark.

"One of the charges that they are wanting to bring against Isaiah is shooting you in the back." Mark got no further as Steve exploded verbally from his bed.

"You can't be serious. Isaiah didn't shoot me. Who said he did and why in the world would they think that?"

"Calm down, Son. They found the gun that was used on the kitchen table. Someone went to a lot of trouble to frame him for your shooting. My guess is that they thought Isaiah and Emma would try to get rid of your body. What they didn't count on is them getting you to a hospital as fast as they could. If you had been found dead and the gun in their position then it would have been a lot easier for Ashton to acquire that land. With the Tanners needing a lawyer and money for legal fees he could practically walked away with it." Mark placed a restraining hand on his son's shoulder when it seemed as if he might try to once again leave his bed.

"I need to talk with Burnside. He has to know that Isaiah didn't shoot me. I don't want another day to go by with that charge hanging over his head." Steve was adamant about this.

"This is just another reason why I should be home and not here. If Ashton's men don't try to kill them then the police are going to bring a bunch of useless charges against them and I need to be out of here to keep things straightened out." Steve's argument seemed to make sense to him but his father was not budging and neither was Jesse, he was sure.

"You're not going anywhere today so you might as well settle down. Isaiah and Emma are under protection and nothing is going to happen to either one of them. You just rest and stop worrying about how you're going to get out of here because you aren't until either I or Jesse decides you're ready to go home." Mark made his point by placing the rails up and pulling the covers back over his son.

"Ok. If I can't come home today then when can I come home?" Steve had calmed down but the determination was still evident in his voice.

"I swear you seem to have a one track mind don't you, Boy?" Isaiah didn't think he had ever seen anyone so stubborn in his life. "You're like a dog chewing on a bone. Once an idea gets into your head you don't let go of it."

"I don't want to be here. I could rest just as easily at home. In fact being there might even help me since I won't have to worry about you all the time. I could see for myself that you are fine. And…" this was Steve's ace, "I won't have to bother the nurses anymore."

He was feeling pretty proud of this last part when suddenly he heard her voice, and his whole plan seemed to plummet into a world of bedpans, tightly tucked sheets, and warm baths.

"I'm going to be here, Steven, so there won't be any reason for you to bother the nurses from now on. I'll be able to take care of any needs you might have." The smile that accompanied the sudden reappearance of Mrs.Grant was his undoing.

He had been beaten at his own game. Steve was sure if he had bothered the staff enough they would have paid his father and Jesse to take him home.

"At least be careful. Ashton knows by now that his little plan didn't work. He's not the type to give up. You both could still be in danger." Steve resigned himself to the fact that he was not going to go anywhere soon. In fact, now he had the feeling that he was going to be in need of protection himself.

"Wouldn't Ashton be a fool to order his henchmen to try and hurt Steve or Mr. and Mrs. Tanner now?" Jesse had spoken for the first time since entering the room.

"Yes, and he knows it as well. I think Ashton's just going to sit back and wait. I'm guessing he's still hoping that Isaiah and Emma will be forced to sell out in order to pay for their legal fees. All the man's got to do is just be patient and wait. He'll be expecting a jury will convict you for kidnapping Steve and holding up the bank." Mark hoped that what he had just said would give Steve a little peace of mind and maybe he would settle down and relax.

"I don't think a jury will convict them given all the evidence that would be brought out but like you just said, the legal fees could wipe them out." Jesse replied.

Mark turned to the older couple and smiled as he explained.

"It won't go to a jury if you two plead guilty. With Steve's testimony and refusal to press the kidnapping charges I think your chances of getting off fairly lightly are good. With no priors and the fact that you have never had any trouble with the law until now, I would wager a month's salary that the worst you will receive is probation for maybe a year or less."

Looking back at his son he informed him.

"Now, Jesse and I have rounds to make, and I'm leaving you in good hands." Mark and Jesse headed for the door leaving a suddenly distraught Steve at the mercy of Mrs. Grant and the Tanners.

Mark turned to give Steve a friendly warning. "If I were you, Son I would look around and see who is taking care of me before I gave anyone a hard time."

Eyeing each of the three people who were hovering around him he sighed and replied. "I'm outnumbered. Just how much trouble do you think I can dish out?"

Mark smiled and continued out the door. He knew Steve would be fine. He also knew that Isaiah and Emma would get along well with Mrs. Grant. It seemed as if they had the same ideas on how to take care of insolent patients.

As he continued down the corridor, his mind played over the turn of events. Ashton would indeed be a fool to try anything now. With the police investigating the land fraud and his possible involvement in Steve's shooting he just might try to fade away. Mark knew that more than likely Ashton would wind up never paying for the assault against his son and the trouble that his manipulating had caused the Tanners.

This was not something that he was willing to let happen. Somehow, this man had tobe brought to justicefor what he had done to these innocent people and for the fact that he ordered the hit on Steve. But how was the problem. It was something he was going to have to study. Somehow, some way Aston was going to be held accountable for what he had done.

Surprisingly enough by the time Mark and Jesse made their way back to the nurse's desk on Steve's floor it seemed as if everything was quiet. Taking that as a good sign both doctors ventured into his room. There, sleeping peacefully, was Steve while Isaiah read a newspaper in the corner of the room and the two women sat quietly talking between themselves.

Isaiah glanced up and noticed the surprised looks on Mark and Jesse's faces. He smiled and motioned them to follow him out into the hall so as not to disturb the slumbering patient.

"He pretty much gave up not long after the two of you left. Gotta' give the boy credit though. He did give one last effort. He was just out-gunned with them two hens a hoverin' over him. He pouted a lot but managed to hold his tongue and try and do what was asked of him." Isaiah grinned at the memory of the battle that had erupted when both nurse and motherly substitute swooped on him making sure he followed doctor's orders to the letter.

"How did he do when they got him up to walk?" Mark was anxious to know if Steve had been strong enough to venture out of his bed.

"Oh, he done real good. I had to hang on to him because he kept tilting over to his right. We managed to walk him to the door and back." Chuckling Isaiah finished his report with, "By the time we got him in the bed again he was sweatin' up a storm. I noticed he was holding his breath some too. It must have hurt him while we was walkin' him.

"He went to sleep soon after we got him settled. He's been sawin' logs ever since." Looking rather regretful Isaiah finished with an apology.

"I feel real bad about what happened to him. If we had a not took him the way we did he'd be fine. I can't tell you how sorry we are that your boy got hurt. Believe me, we never wanted that to happen. Truth is we kinda got ourselves attached to him."

Reaching out and placing a hand on Isaiah's shoulder Mark tried to comfort him. "I know you never meant for any of this to happen. Try not to worry about Steve; he's going to be fine. I wish you and Emma hadn't been pushed this far. The main thing now is to try and help you as best we can."

Later that evening it was decided that ribs from BBQ Bobs would be a treat for everyone. Especially for Steve since he hadn't had anything but hospital food since the shooting at the Tanners. Not that he was complaining, but the meal came with a chance to visit with his friends and family.

Conversation was basically general for the most part. There was some good-natured ribbing at Steve's expense when Isaiah told the rest about his working the boy hard and then Emma trying to soak the soreness out of him the next day. Jesse was disappointed when he found out that Steve hadn't been forced to eat possum and grits.

As the meal began to come to a close the conversation turned to Ashton and Mark's fears that he would walk away from this without so much as a slap on the wrist.

"Face it, Dad. Unless the man confesses the chances of a connection being made between him and this whole thing are slim. He has way too many people hiding his complicity in my getting shot. Like you said earlier, he's not stupid. All he has to do is wait." Steve had seen people like Clay Ashton get away with murder simply because they had enough money to pay other people to do all of their dirty work.

Mark stood and stared at his son for a few minutes. Steve and Jesse had seen that expression before. They knew the only thing they could do was wait until he was ready to tell them what was on his mind. Steve only hoped he would be able to go along with whatever his dad was scheming. Past experience told him, however, more than likely he was going to have some serious problems with the plan. He also knew in his current condition he wasn't in any position to do much about it.

Smiling at everyone in the room, Mark began clearing away the lunch trash. As he sacked up the empty containers he hummed a little tune to himself. Everyone began helping with the exception of the patient. Steve watched his dad closely but not once did he offer a word about what was going through his mind. Finally, the room was cleared of the meal's debris. No longer able to wait, Steve confronted Mark about what he was hatching.

"So are you going to tell me what it is you are cooking up or am I going to have to read about it in the paper later?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Mark grinned at his son knowing full well he wasn't fooling him one bit.

"Ok. Be that way. Just remember this though. I'm laid up here in this bed and I might not be able to bail you out of whatever it is you're scheming."

Without another word Mark began to round up his guests. After lecturing his son on the consequences of hassling the late shift nurses, he made him promise to go to sleep and only call if he needed any pain meds.

Mrs. Grant and Emma made sure Steve was tucked in properly and settled for the night. Mark watched as the women fussed over his son, images of his own wife coming to his mind. He could almost see Katherine comforting her sick children or keeping vigil over nightmare filled hours singing a song to soothe the fear that had gripped them. She had the ability to extend that same comfort to him when he was unsure of himself or suffered from too many hard and sleepless nights because of a crisis from the hospital. He was grateful for these two women who had no trouble showing affection and concern for his son.

Mrs. Grant and Emma made sure Steve was tucked in properly and settled for the night. Mark watched as the women fussed over his son, images of his own wife coming to his mind. He could almost see Katherine comforting her sick children or keeping vigil over nightmare filled hours singing a song to sooth the fear that had gripped them. She had the ability to extend that same comfort to him when he was unsure of himself or suffered from too many hard and sleepless nights because of a crisis from the hospital. He was grateful for these two ladies who had no trouble showing affection and concern for his son.

After receiving a kiss from both Emma and Mrs. Grant, Steve promised to behave and give the nurses a break by not bothering them the rest of the night. A promise he knew better than to break or else suffer the consequences the next morning after his father or nurse returned.

Jesse stood with Mark by the nurse's desk and waited until he had finished writing an order for a sedative just in case his son forgot to honor his promise to rest. Once he was sure that his friend was through, he confronted him about what it was he had in mind to get a confession from Ashton.

"I know you well enough to recognize that look. You've got an idea and I want to know what it is."

"All in good time, young Watson. All in good time." With that, Mark turned and escorted the Tanners toward the elevator leaving Jesse standing and wondering what it was his friend was planning now.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

So far his day had been everything Steve had imagined it would be. He woke up that morning with not one but two women hovering over him. It had pretty much gone down hill from then on. He tolerated the constant attention from both ladieswith a controlled effort he didn't know he possessed. If it hadn't been for the couple of times that Jesse and one of the orderlies had gathered him up for a walk in the corridor he would probably be restrained and gagged by now.

Curiosity was also getting the better of him. He had tried several times to get in a word and ask about where his dad and Isaiah were. It seemed rather odd that neither man had made an appearance yet. Finally, after his futile efforts to avoid the rigid schedule that the women had planned, which included the obvious activities which totally embarrassed him, he managed to get their attention long enough to ask about the absence of both men.

"Excuse me. If you are through with your current bit of torture I was wondering if you could tell me where Dad and Isaiah are this morning? I'm afraid of what theymight beup to and I would like to know what it is before my captain contacts me demanding why I'm letting the two of them run loose."

"I've only just begun to torture you so lay back and relax! I have no idea where your father is at the moment." Mrs. Grant went on with her usual bustling about the room.

Steve noticed Emma avoiding him and trying to keep herself from making eye contact by rearranging the plants and cards that he had received since he had been admitted. Steve watched her for a moment before he confronted her.

"You know where they are don't you?" Steve narrowed his eyes at her and continued to observe the way she seemed to move about nervously.

"I don't always know what my husband has planned for his day. He isn't the type to be tellin' me his every move." She continued to move about the room trying to avoid being interrogated by Steve any further.

"I think that you do know this time, however. Emma, look at me. Where are they and what are they getting into now?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're atalkin' about. Now you hush up and settle down. There ain't noreason for you to be gettin' your shorts in a twist." Once again she managed to escape having to tell Steve what it was her husband and Mark were actully doing. She hadn't liked it herself but she also knew that when her husband got an ideainto his head it wasn't going to go away until he had managed to follow through with whatever fool notion he had planned. With the doctor in on it as well she knew she would be outvoted. Emma had held her peace and began praying that both men didn't wind up in jail or worse.

Unable to get anymore out of her at the moment Steve concentrated on his efforts on avoiding the next little project that his nurse had in mind for him.

DM

Clay Aston nearly jumped from his chair when a large older man barged through the doors like a rampaging bull. He stood over 6 feet and was toting a large rifle, which, with lightening speed, he aimed at the smaller man who was cowering behind his desk.

It was all Isaiah could do to keep a straight face. He wanted so badly to laugh when he saw the look of pure panic come over Ashton's face. He figured the prissy little man was probably sittin' ina pair of wet docker's by now. He hoped in a few minutes they would be filled with a bit more once he got through with his little charade.

"Don't be movin' towards that phone 'cause that little gal out thereain't goin' to be comin' to your rescue. I got her all tied up so she won't be callin' the police."

Ashton couldn't move and the only sound that could be heard other than Isaiah were the little whimpering sounds escaping from the younger man's throat.

Finally Aston found enough of his voice to ask with difficulty, "What is it you want?"

"What makes you think I want somethin'?" Isaiah continued to tower over Aston and the glare he directed towards him was enough to make any man fear for his life.

"You recognize this here gun? The police found it in my house. They said it was the gun what shot that boy. They say I shot him. You and I know that ain't true. Don't we?" Isaiah startled Ashton so badly when he yelled at him that for a minute it looked as if he might pass out cold.

"I..I…don't know what you are talking about." Ashton sounded as if any minute he was going to break down and cry.

Isaiah took advantage of the man's fear and continued with his interrogation.

"I think you do. I think you had someone come out to my place and shoot that kid and then you waited to see if I would try and get rid of him. Next time you hire a man to do your dirty work be sure he can shoot straight."

Isaiah continued to hold the rifle on Ashton delighting at the fact that now the other man was sweating profusely.

"If the police found that gun then how did you get it back?"

It was a fair question but amazingly enough without batting an eye Isaiah replied with a shrug and a grin. "I stole it when I escaped from their jail. You see, I figure if I'm goin' to be blamed for shootin' this gun and hurtin' someone with it I might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. You got your affairs in order, Mr. Ashton? I'm getting rather tired of this conversation. I reckon I'll just get on with what it was I come here for. Especially since you ain't plannin' on tellin' the truth.

Isaiah squinted his eye and made sure he had Aston in his sights. He pulled the hammer back on the gun, his finger gently went around the trigger and Clay could see the tension as Isaiah began to pull on it.

"Wait. Wait. Please. Don't shoot me. If you do you'll be wanted for murder." Ashton was pleading for his life.

"I'm an old man, Mr. Ashton. By the time I make parole I'll be dead. If I'm going to jail I'm going for a reason. Now be still so when I shoot your head off it don't mess up your hair. Course I reckon you ain't goin' to care about that anyway are you?" Isaiah gave a maniacal little laugh that seemed to be Aston's undoing.

"I did order the hit on the cop. I'll tell the police. I hired men to go to your place and shoot him. I figured he would die on the spot and since you and your wife had already kidnapped him then you'd panic and try to get rid of the body. I wanted to frame you for the murder and then I could get rid of you easily enough. Please don't kill me." By now Aston was crying like a baby and Isaiah lowered the gun.

Mark and Jim Newman walked in then and Aston realized that he had been tricked into confessing. His tears soon turned into rage. He was a man who wasn't use to losing and he had just lost big time.

"This was just a set up wasn't it? You were never going to shoot me were you?" Aston spat the words out as two uniformed officers placed him in handcuffs.

"I reckon not. It would be hard since I ain't got any ammunition in this here rifle." Isaiah smiled feeling good about his part in the charade.

"Why?" Aston looked at Mark and Captain Newman. He had never gotten this close to the police before. He had always managed to keep his hands clean.

"I knew it was you who ordered the hit on the cop. I also knew that you would walk away and avoid charges being brought against you. I couldn't let that happen. That cop you had shot was my son! Do you really think I would let you get away with it?" The words Mark spoke were filled with anger and malice. He was grateful Aston was in custody at the moment. He felt sure, however, if given an opportunity, he would probably break his Hippocratic oath and first do some major harm.

As the officers began to escort him out Ashton turned back and looked at Isaiah and with defeat evident in his voice he asked the older man. "Why didn't you just sell when I tried to buy you out? I offered you ten times what that piece of rock and dirt was worth. Why?"

Isaiah stood up straight and looked Ashton in the eye. "Because that land is ours. I guess you don't know what that means. You been takin' from folks all your life. Nobody ever gave us nothin'. We worked for every rock, tree, and weed on that place. We earned the right to live there. I wasn't about to let you or anyone else take that away from me."

No one said a word as Ashton was led from the room. Mark moved over to Isaiah and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. Finally all three men turned and walked out the door. When they were outside Isaiah handed Newman the rifle. The men talked for a second and then the Captain shook Isaiah's hand and thanked him for his help.

Once in the car Mark turned to his new friend and offered his thanks as well. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate the chance you took in there. If you hadn't agreed to do this he would have gotten away with ordering the hit on Steve."

Isaiah turned to the doctor and grinned. "Shoot, Doc. I ain't had this much fun since I got that old bobcat treed up in the hills a couple of years ago. I knew he was gonna start blubbin' like a baby. He might be needin' a clean pair of pants before they take him too far." Isaiah was laughing by this time and Mark joined in.

They had only driven a couple of blocks before Isaiah turned back to Mark and on a more serious note explained why he felt the need to go along with Mark's unorthodox plan. "You know, Doc. I owed that much to you and your boy. If we hadn't taken him to begin with this wouldn't 'ave happened. He's a good kid and he didn't deserve any of this. None of you did. I am so sorry for everythin'."

"I'm a firm believer in things happening for a reason. I hope you and Emma won't blame yourselves. Some good will come from this. In fact it already has. Clayton should have been put into custody long before now for the way he has preyed on people trying to get what he wants. He went up against the wrong people this time and he finally got what he deserves. Steve wouldn't want the two of you to feel responsible either. Now I think we better go and see who is ahead. My money is on Mrs. Grant and Emma. What do you think?"

"Ain't no doubt in my mind. I done seen the way Emma gets a hold of him. She didn't give him no slack at the cabin. That Mrs. Grant seems to be cut from the same cloth as that woman of mine. I say let's go and see if we can rescue him from them two hens a hoverin' around him. I'm sure by now he's just about ready to blow a gasket." Isaiah and Mark both began laughing at the mental image of what Steve must be having to endure at the hands of the two ladies who both seemed bent on keeping him under their control.

DM

As Steve made his way slowly down the hall with Jesse and an orderly flanking him one on either side, he couldn't help but wonder what the purpose was of having to be escorted around. He suspected it was more guard duty than support. After the morning he'd had with not one but two women ordering him around he was sure Jesse knew he was ready to make a break and run for it. His tongue was sore from the constant biting he had been doing in order to keep from saying something that would just get him into more trouble than he was already in.

Each journey into the corridor had resulted in him going a little further away from his room. He and his escorts had just rounded the corner of the hall when the elevator doors opened to reveal his dad and Isaiah. When Steve saw them he broke free and made his way towards them as quickly as his weakened body would let him. He managed to reach them before his reserve energy gave out completely. Isaiah and Mark saw the way he suddenly turned white and both reacted by grabbing him before he wound up on the floor.

"Boy, what's the matter with you? You move around like that and you'll wind up on your butt for sure." Isaiah started chewing him out as he and Mark began to make their way back to his room.

Jesse and the orderly caught up in just a matter of seconds. "You want to share with me what you were thinking? You could have fallen and hurt yourself. For someone who wants to go home as bad as you do your choices aren't so well thought out." Steve's sudden sprint towards his dad had startled Jesse and fear for his friend showed in the tone that he took with him.

All four men continued to harp at the poor exhausted patient as they drug him into his room. When Emma and Mrs. Grant saw the condition that Steve was being returned to them in, they both jumped up demanding to know what happened.

"I have no idea what's gotten into him. We stepped off the elevator and Steve almost pounced on us." Mark surveyed his son's face trying to read the pain level he was experiencing from the lines that were drawn across his forehead and around his mouth.

While he was being tucked back into bed and everyone seemed to be chewing on him at the same time, Steve shut them out and concentrated on his breathing. He was trying to ride out the pain that had enveloped his body when he made his rather hasty advance towards his dad and Isaiah.

Once he thought he could speak again he quietly but firmly demanded to know where Mark and Isaiah had been all morning. "I want the truth and nothing but the truth. Where were you?"

Both men looked at each other rather sheepishly before Mark tried to calmly explain to his frustrated son about his plan to get Clay Ashton to confess to his part in the land fraud and the fact that he had ordered the hit on Steve.

"You what? Dad, how could you? Do you know what might have happened?" Steve was livid at what he had just heard. His father was notorious for his outlandish schemes but at least most of the time Steve was able to be around if things didn't go according to plan. He was furious with his dad for taking such a chance with himself and Isaiah.

"You could have both been hurt or worse killed. You can't just go around and put yourself in danger like that, Dad." He would have continued with his tantrum but Mark stopped him with his next words.

"I did what I had to. You were shot and nearly died. How can you lie there and believe for one minute that I was going to let that…that… excuse for a human being get away with it? Yes, we took a chance but not without police protection and the approval of Captain Newman and Neil Burnside. It was a well thought out plan and nothing happened except that Ashton confessed and is now going to get what he deserves." Both father and son glared at one another for several seconds. The silence was so thick it could be sliced with a knife.

Finally in a more controlled tone Mark stepped up to his son's bed and grasped Steve's hand in his own. "For almost two days I sat and watched as you struggled for each breath you took. I prayed each one wouldn't be your last. This man knows nothing but how to steal from innocent people. He has taken all his life. Not one time caring about how it affected the people he targeted. Well he tried to take from the wrong person this time. I couldn't and wouldn't let him get away with that."

Steve lay back and watched his father for a few minutes and then finally, a lot more calmly, he apologized. "I'm sorry. I know it's not easy when something happens to me, it's not easy for you when I go to work every day. I can't change that, Dad. There's been no complaints, only support and I appreciate that. It isn't easy for me, knowing that I am the cause of so much worry for you. The thing is, Dad, you put yourself on the line too many times and that drives me crazy. I try to handle it when I can be there and make sure things go as planned. But when I am stuck here and you go off and pull something like this it makes me feel helpless. I love you, Dad. If anything ever happened to you because I wasn't there to see to your safety I don't know what I would do. Please, promise me that you won't do this again without me, ok?"

"Ok. I'd ask you to promise me you won't get hurt anymore but I'm afraid that would be more than you can deliver. Trouble seems to follow you around like a shadow." Both father and son fell silent and let what hadn't been said speak to their hearts.

A tap on the door brought both men around and they realized that while they had been having their discussion everyone else had silently left the room. Jesse stuck his head in and asked if the coast was clear yet.

"Come on in. I think we've come to an understanding. I'm sorry. We never meant to chase you out." Mark apologized as the others returned to the room.

"It's ok, Dr. Sloan. We just felt like you and your son needed some privacy. Jesse took me and Isaiah on a nice tour of the floor. He even took us down in the elevator to see where that sweet Dr. Bentley works. I don't understand why she likes to work on those dead people though." The look and tone of her voice showed her shock at how her new friend spent her days.

Everyone stood and listened as Mark and Isaiah relived their morning's adventure. Eventually Mrs. Grant noticed that Steve was having some difficulty keeping his eyes open. She began to shoo everyone out of the room so that she could settle him for a much needed nap. He was so tired that he never said a word but went straight to sleep. His morning work out seemed to have exhausted him, and he was more than ready to give in to the need for rest.

It was the first thing he had done voluntarily and everyone was relieved that he had not chosen to voice his usual opinion about the nap and soon he was left alone with just Mrs. Grant keeping vigil over him. It had been a long day and Mark felt like the Tanners had been a part of enough excitement for a while. After making sure the staff would call him if they needed him for Steve, Hh took his guests back to the beach house for the evening.

A/N: I just wanted to say thank you for the well wishes for my return to health. I truly appreciate them. I'm back to my old self now and ready to wrap this story up. Yes, just one more chapter after this. Thanks again for the kind reviews and for the interest you have shown in the story. I have so much fun writing and even more fun hearing from all of you. Please have a blessed day. Belinda


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Steve sat next to his father. He reminded himself of a kid in church who was trying to be still but couldn't help but fidget. His mouth was dry and felt like cotton would fly out if he tried to speak. His hands were sweating and even though he kept rubbing them on his pants leg they just continued to stay moist.

He had been out of the hospital for a week now and still he didn't feel up to his usual speed. He had been having trouble sleeping but was pretty sure he had kept it from his father. At first he had been glad to hear that the trial had been set early. Now that it was here, he wished it were still another week a way.

Steve knew that his testimony could mean the difference between the Tanners spending time in jail or a year on probation. He tried to listen to what the lawyers said but his mind was too full of what he wanted to say. His father placed a calming hand on his knee in hopes stilling the leg that was shaking furiously. Taking a few deep breaths, Steve concentrated on making himself relax.

Testifying in court was nothing new to the Lieutenant and he understood the secret to keeping an aggressive defense attorney at bay was to have all of your facts straight and to keep your answers short and to the point.

This time was different. Two lives rested on what he had to say. He hoped his testimony would convince the judge that the Tanners were just as much victims of circumstance as he was. It had been stupid of them to go charging into the bank waving shotguns and making threats. His plan was to show the judge that it was the act of two desperate people trying to hold onto what was rightfully theirs.

Even though Steve had been waiting for the defense attorney to call him to testify on their behalf he still jumped out of his skin when he heard his name. Slowly he got to his feet and made his way to the front. He never realized that it only took him 20 steps from the barrister to the witness box. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Actually he could hear it pounding in his head.

Steve stepped up to the stand and turned to face the bailiff swallowing hard as he did so. He saw the man's lips moving, but the words were lost to him. He only extended his hand and placed it on the Bible by sheer instinct. He waited until those lips ceased moving before he said, "I do." He sat down quickly just as his knee's threatened to give up on him.

Steve gulped hard trying to get rid the lump that had taken up permanent residence in his throat. He watched the defense attorney for the Tanners walk towards him.

An old friend of his dad's, Ben Matlock, had recommended this lawyer for the case. He was about the same age with the same demeanor as Ben. Eccentric wasn't quite the word he would use but he was definitely different. Mr. Fouse, though not the friendliest of men, did seem to have that calming reassuring quality that was probably one of the most vital tools a lawyer used with his clients.

"Lieutenant Sloan, I believe you requested a chance to speak in favor of my clients. We are all very interested in hearing what you have to say." Mr. Fouse stopped in front of him and placed a reassuring hand on Steve's arm. He leaned in and whispered. "Just take your time. Take deep breaths. You'll do fine."

Steve sat for a second and began to wipe his sweaty palms on his pants leg again. He licked his lips and started to open his mouth but suddenly shut it quickly. His heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. Why was he so nervous? He had sat in this very chair numerous times giving testimony in one case or another. He couldn't ever remember being so scared before.

Something seemed to pull his attention towards the table where Isaiah and Emma sat. He had looked at them for some time when suddenly Emma smiled at him and with her little hands gestured at him to go on as if he were standing in front of church trying to recite a part in a Sunday School program. He smiled back and then rested his eyes on the prosecutor and began.

"I know that the charges against Mr. and Mrs. Tanner are serious. I'm not here to try and tell you what they did was right. I just want you to understand a little about them and why I feel circumstances drove them to do what they did. I have to admit when I found myself being forced to accompany them I was pretty put out. In fact mad would probably be a better word but I had no idea the impact that these two people would have on me.

"I want you to know that not one time did I ever feel like a prisoner while staying with them. In fact they treated me more like a long lost son. I was given shelter, decent food, and comfort when I needed it. I was even given medical attention; at least I think that was her intention." At this Steve had to smile and wink at Emma. She winked back and a slight blush reached her cheeks.

"I believe if you look at the record you will find, as far as the courts are concerned, they never existed before that day. There are no prior arrest records, no unpaid traffic citations. No lodges of complaint were ever filed against them.

"The Tanners made the ultimate sacrifice when they lost their only son to a war that many still see as pointless and question our involvement in. They have always loved their country and respected its laws. Until, that is, the day they felt their country and its laws had forsaken them with unfair tax hikes, ridiculous timetables to pay by and the threat of foreclosure. All these things contributed to what I would consider to be a desperate act by two increasingly desperate citizens trying to hang onto something that was rightly theirs to begin with.

"These are not people who have felt the need to study mans' laws. They are simply hard working farmers who know instead about the laws of nature. They trusted others to treat them with respect, dignity, and fairness. I'm sure they felt that when the bank showed up they had no other recourse. The people they thought they could trust were now becoming their enemy and betraying them. The police couldn't help them unless they had proof of a law being broken. They watched what they had worked so hard for all their lives being slowly taken away from them. Not knowing what else to do at the time, they chose badly and did what they felt they had to do in order to keep their home.

"When they entered that bank they did so with two unloaded shotguns. When I asked Isaiah why he did that he looked at me as if I had just asked the stupidest question imaginable. His answer was sincere though. He didn't want anyone to get hurt. He just needed to take away the threat to the life that they had built and worked so hard for. They never intended to harm a single soul.

"I would like to make one request. I feel the system failed to protect the Tanners once and this is what caused them to resort to such a desperate act. Please don't let the system fail them again. Sending this couple to jail would not serve any purpose. I'm hoping that when you are making a decision you will look at everything. Take into account what led up to that day. Maybe just put yourself in their shoes. I… Maybe you…. I guess that's all I have to say. Thank you" Steve hung his head and sat still for just a moment. He had spoken from his heart and could only hope it was enough.

When he did stand up he could feel everyone looking at him. He made his way back to his seat and sat down grateful for the warm hand that patted his leg. He didn't dare look at anyone as tears threatened to spill in spite of his best effort to keep them at bay.

No one said anything for what seemed like several minutes after Steve had returned to his seat. The silence was unnerving and it only brought the tension in the room to a new level. Finally, after what seemed like forever the judge cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I realize that Mr. and Mrs. Tanner are not your typical bank robbers. I also realize that there are extenuating circumstances, which caused them to act as they did." Pausing for a second the judge turned to both Isaiah and Emma and continued. "Whether the guns were loaded or not I can't ignore the fact that you willfully went into the bank threatening the lives of innocent people. I know that Lieutenant Sloan refuses to press the issue of kidnapping but the fact remains you forced him to go with you, and you have to be held responsible for your actions. The law must be upheld. Before I pass sentence would you like to say anything?" The judge had a stone expression on his face. The only thing that gave him away was the compassion in his eyes.

Isaiah looked at his wife for a second before she placed a hand on his arm and nodded her head. He stood before the judge and, with as much dignity as he could, the older man spoke up.

"I know that sayin' sorry ain't enough. What me and Emma done was wrong. I'm not askin' for you to excuse it. I wish I knew what else we coulda' done. I also wish we could take it back. My wife and me been working that land for almost 50 years. My own parents worked it before me. My son Robbie was born and raised there. He sacrificed his life so that I could be free and keep my farm. I guess I just don't understand enough about the law to really know what I coulda' done to keep from losin' it. We never wanted to hurt nobody. The truth of the matter is, Sir; it's our home. We just didn' wanna' lose it." Isaiah sat down and took a hold of his wife's hand. Together the two sat and waited for the judge to make his final decision.

Once again silence settled on the courtroom and the judge sat still studying papers before him. No one said a word but waited anxiously for him to speak. When he did Steve held his breath and closed his eyes preparing himself for the worst.

"I wish that it was simply a matter of just pushing this all under the carpet, but the fact is that doesn't really solve anything. Something the Lieutenant said has, however, got me to thinking. It appears the system did fail you in some way. The laws of our land are to protect the people of this country. Because of greed, money and power you two became victims and struck out in the only manner you knew how. I also can't forget the fact when the Lieutenant was shot you put aside your own safety and made sure that you got him to a hospital as fast as you could in order to save his life. I believe you proved then that you had no intentions of harming anyone and you put his survival before your own. I can't excuse your actions and there must be a penalty to pay. I can however make sure the system doesn't fail you again. Will the defendants please stand and face the court.

"Isaiah Robert Tanner and Emma Louise Tanner you have pleaded guilty to the charge of armed robbery. You are sentenced to one year of probation. You will report twice a month to a probation officer and you will also pay a fine of 1000 dollars. Does the prosecution have any objection to this?"

Neil Burnside stood up and heartily confirmed that the prosecution had no objection to the sentence that was passed down. He was, in fact, quite happy that the Tanners had been given leniency and was grateful for Isaiah's help in obtaining Clay Ashton's confession of ordering the hit on Lieutenant Sloan. He hoped that maybe today's proceedings would show that the law was still there for everyone and not just those who had money and power.

DM

Steve sat on the deck and enjoyed watching everyone as they discussed the hearing from that morning. Mark had invited Jesse and Amanda with her boys over to celebrate the outcome. Mrs Grant was there as well trying her best not to hover but finding it difficult as she noticed how tired her patient appeared.

The morning's events had taken a toll on him, he was feeling the results of too little sleep and the worry that had been his constant companion ever since the date for the hearing had been set.

Even though he felt that a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders, Steve was still finding it difficult to relax and fully enjoy the party. As always, Mark kept a watchful eye on his son. He was well aware of the fact he had not been sleeping well and hoped that now the trial was over he would relax and let go of his anxieties. Knowing Steve wasn't up to anything very elaborate, Mark kept the get-together small and casual. Besides he felt like Isaiah and Emma would be uncomfortable with a lot of people around.

"I still think you and Emma should consider staying here for another couple of days. I sort of wanted to ask you some questions about what it's like living in the woods with wild animals and stuff." Jesse was trying to corner Isaiah and gather as much information as he could for a new story he wanted to write.

Writing scripts and trying to sell them to television executives was sort of a hobby of his. This latest adventure of Steve's could be just the angle he needed for a new series. He could call it 'Cop in the Wild.'

"Son, I have no idea what you are ramblin' on about. We don't live in the woods with wild animals. We never ate possum and I don't know how to cure the skins of small animals. Ever since we got here you keep askin' us what it's like to live in a cabin with no electricity or plumbin'. Well let me tell you right now I don't like it." Isaiah was giving Jesse a look that was somewhere between amusement and frustration.

"We need to get back to the cabin so we can get the stock moved back to our house and get settled home again before it starts gettin' too hot. I ain't real anxious to be without my air-conditionin'. It'll take us a good two or three days to move everythin' back home so we really need to get started in the mornin'."

Steve had sat and listened to this exchange trying to understand what Isaiah was saying. When the light finally came on he all but lost it.

"Are you telling me that you hauled me up to that place with no running water, no electricity, and no indoor plumbing? You made me take a bath in that tin bucket right out there in the kitchen where everyone could see. I had to walk down a dirt path just to go to the bathroom. Then, before I even dared to sit down, I had to search to make sure I wasn't about to share the seat with some dangerous varmint ready to take a bite out of my…. Well, never mind what it would have taken a bite out of." Steve was on his feet at this point and bearing down on Isaiah.

Isaiah stepped back and returned fire. "Now see here, Boy. We was hidin' out. What? You think we was just goin' to go home and wait for the police to come and arrest us? No one knew about that place we took you and it was safe for us to stay there. Besides it did you a world of good."

"And just how do you figure that?" Steve looked at the other man confused and amazed at the last statement.

"Well, for one thing it got you outta' the city for a while. You gotta' chance to see what country livin' is like and you have to admit that Emma can cook up a real fine meal. None of that fast food stuff you just drive up and pick out of some window from a puny little kid wearin' a paper hat and hair down to his shoulders. I think every chil' should have to walk down a path to the privy at least once in his life." By this time Isaiah was grinning at the younger man standing before him.

Steve just stood and stared at him for a second but couldn't quite keep the grin from spreading over his handsome face. "I guess it was kind of nice to sit up to the table and enjoy Emma's apple pie. I have to admit I'm going to miss her cooking." A little more serious and slightly embarrassed he confessed. "Actually, I'm going to miss both of you. I learned something about myself."

Emma walked up to Steve and in her quiet way asked him. "What did you learn, Hon?"

Steve reached out and took her hand and brought it up to his lips. He kissed it lightly and then looked straight into her sweet beautiful eyes. "I learned that I don't have to feel guilty anymore about coming home alive when so many of my friends didn't. I learned not to be afraid of the memories. I learned that I need people like you and Isaiah in my life." With that Steve reached out and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Smiling and beaming up at the young man that had stolen her heart in the last few weeks Emma returned the kiss and gave him a hug. She didn't want to let go. He felt so good in her arms. Arms that had ached for a long time with the need to hold a lost son. Steve had managed to ease that ache and she wasn't ready to loose him, not yet anyway.

When finally she did release him it was to give him a stern look and start a lecture about taking things easy still. "I know you think you are all better now. You need to listen to your daddy though. He knows better what you need at the moment. If I find out you been givin' him trouble I'll be up here after you so fast you won't even see me comin'. I expect you to show Mrs. Grant proper respect too. She only wants what is best for you and she is real good at takin' care of you. I know cause I watched her. You don't be fussin' with her."

Steve looked at the little woman who had no trouble standing up to him and smiled at her. "Yes Ma'am. I promise to be good." By this time, Steve was sitting again since what little strength he'd had was now gone after his outburst with Isaiah.

DM

Later that evening Mark went looking for Steve. The day seemed to have exhausted him and he wanted to be sure his son was doing ok. He also wanted to give Steve the news that Edwards had been found dead and Ashton would now be facing charges of murder as well. After looking through the house he stepped out on the deck and searched the beach. Sure enough there was Steve sitting on his dune watching the waves as they washed up on shore.

Mark stood and watched for a few minutes trying to decide if he should disturb his son's musings or wait a few minutes and see if Steve would return on his own. Suddenly he noticed another figure making his way out towards the dune. Not having to look too hard to make out the silhouette of the big farmer, Mark returned to the den and gave the two men some privacy.

"It sure is nice here. I see now why you took such a likin' to that ole creek back up in the hills. I guess it was the only water you could get to at the time." Isaiah stood for a moment and watched with Steve amazed at the force and the beauty of the ocean.

"I like to come here to think about things when I can't sort them out in my mind. The sound soothes me and I seem to be able to organize my thoughts better out here. I love the ocean. I really can't imagine living anywhere else."

"You never wanted to live on your own at some time? I mean it's sort of unusual for man your age to still be livin' with his daddy an' all." Isaiah had wondered about the arrangement but until now had not felt comfortable asking.

"I lived in an apartment for a short while but I missed being here on the beach. I moved back and took up the downstairs part of the house. I have my own entrance and it's equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. I have all the privacy I could possibly want. Dad tries to be sure that he isn't intruding on anything. I guess it is unusual for a man my age to still be living at home but it works for the both of us." Steve stood up and walked to the edge of the water.

"I suppose Robbie would have lived somewhere on the land with his own family if'n he had made it home. I know that's what Emma was hopin' for anyway." Both men just stood for a moment and watched the waves enjoying the peace that it offered.

After a few moments Isaiah cleared his throat and once again spoke. "I wanted to just come out here and tell you that you're welcome to come back and see us anytime you want. In fact I guess I was hopin' that maybe you would come and see us from time to time. Emma seems to have got real attached to you, Boy, and I know it would mean a lot to her. She misses our son and you seem to have filled that void for her a little. She's been real happy these last few weeks havin' you to take care of."

Steve turned and looked at Isaiah for a moment. He watched as the man slowly took a few steps towards him. "I guess the truth of the matter, Son, is that you filled a empty spot for me too. It seems we both got attached to you and we sure are goin' to miss not haven' ya' underfoot all the time."

Tears were threatening at the back of his eyes and Steve knew better than to say anything. He had grown just as fond of his new friends as they had of him. Not knowing what else to do he stepped up and embraced Isaiah hoping that it wasn't a mistake. To his relief the older man returned the gesture and for a minute the two just stood and held on to each other not saying a word.

When Steve eventually stepped back he felt he could finally speak. "I'll be coming by often. After all I need to make sure you two stay out of trouble."

"Now don't start preachin' at me, Boy. We learned our lesson about all that. Next time I'll just be lettin' my big city detective friend handle all my legal complaints. How'd that be?" Isaiah reached down and picked up a smooth stone and suddenly let it fly across the waves. For a few seconds the two stood and watched as it skipped across the top of the water.

Steve stooped and gathered up a couple more and let one fly surprising Isaiah at how well he had managed to get his rock to skip across every bit as good as himself.

"I think that maybe that's probably best. After all, what's the use of having friends on the force if you can't use them sometimes?" Steve let his second rock fly watching as it skimmed the water and disappeared.

For the next half-hour the friends competed against each other trying to make their rock skip the farthest across the waves. The sun was beginning to set when Emma came out onto the deck and watched as two of the most important men in her life enjoyed themselves. While the darkness descended over the beach she allowed the tears to escape. Tears of joy and love. Theirs was a friendship that had been forged out of desperation. It had survived turmoil, and tragedy and she knew that for her, Isaiah, and Steve it was a friendship that would last a lifetime.

The End

A/N: To all of you who stuck with this story thank you so much. Your kind reviews and thoughts are greatly appreciated and stored in my heart. A few of you asked about a sequal and thanks to a good friend I just might be able squeeze one out of this. I grew to love these characters as well and they were a lot of fun to write. Bless all of you and I'll be seeing you again soon I hope. Belinda


End file.
